A reader writes: "I live in Japan with my son. His father left us nine years ago. After a couple of months, he contacted me, though he has never contacted us since then. I have never heard any news from him. I tried also to send a letter to his parents with a picture of my son attached, but I received no reply from them. I'm so desperate to know what happened to him and even whether he is still alive or not."
There are several ways for the reader to find her husband if she consults with a lawyer. The usual way of tracing someone's address is to ask a lawyer to obtain their family registry (koseki-tohon) or certificate of residence (juuminhyō) from their local municipal office. Attorneys are allowed to obtain someone's koseki-tohon or juuminhyō without the permission of that person, as long as it is deemed necessary for a case.
If the reader knows the address of where she and her husband used to live or his parents live, a lawyer can trace her husband's present address by obtaining his koseki-tohon and juuminhyō. However, it is essential that the reader knows the kanji of her husband's or husband's parents' names in order to obtain those documents. Sometimes, the fact that non-Japanese spouses do not know the kanji of their spouse's name can stop a case moving forward.