How-tos | LIFELINES Oct 24, 2018
My husband is not my baby's father. Can my child take the dad's name?
by Natsumi Fujii
A reader writes in to Lifelines asking for some advice on issues related to paternity and marriage.
How-tos | LIFELINES Oct 14, 2018
by Louise George Kittaka
Raising children as a foreign parent here is no picnic, but what about when your child is also coping with physical or learning challenges?
How-tos | LIFELINES Sep 19, 2018
What does Japan's Nationality Act really mean for its dual citizens?
by Cory Baird and Sakura Murakami
Given the present "don't ask, don't tell" attitude of the Justice Ministry, it would be highly unusual if Naomi Osaka was forced to relinquish her U.S. citizenship at the age of 22.
How-tos | LIFELINES Sep 16, 2018
Bilingual project aims to be a springboard to women's empowerment in Japan
by Louise George Kittaka
A new bilingual program aims to cross language and cultural barriers and help all women move ahead in their professional and personal lives — sharing with and learning from each other in the process.
How-tos | LIFELINES Sep 12, 2018
More than a century on, Baden-Powell's Scouts span 169 nations, including Japan
by Margaret Goff
Those in Japan wishing to join the movement can take their pick between the Scout Association of Japan and the Boy Scouts of America.
How-tos | LIFELINES Aug 22, 2018
Amnesty International Japan program aims to help schools fill the gender information gap
by Louise George Kittaka
Amnesty International Japan introduced the Gender Human Rights Education Project, with an aim to provide a forum and tools for students to learn about and discuss gender, discrimination and human rights protection
How-tos | LIFELINES Aug 5, 2018
How can I ensure my family isn't liable for my elderly Japanese wife's driving mishaps?
by Takashi Ito
Reader B wrote to Lifelines about his worries regarding his wife, a keen driver who is about to become an octogenarian.
How-tos | LIFELINES Jun 17, 2018
SIETAR Japan sees a time for intercultural understanding
by Louise George Kittaka
SIETAR Japan seeks to promote intercultural communication through lectures and workshops, special interest group meetings, an annual conference, retreats and social gatherings.
How-tos | LIFELINES Jun 3, 2018
I want a divorce in Japan, but what about child custody and my mortgage?
by Yohei Oda
A reader writes in with a query about the all-too-familiar subject of divorce, along with a related question about his mortgage.
How-tos | LIFELINES May 20, 2018
My company didn't enroll me in the Japanese social insurance program. What to do?
by Nahoko Amemiya
A non-Japanese worker wrote to Lifelines with some questions about the shakai hoken social insurance system.
How-tos | LIFELINES May 13, 2018
Readers reach out to lost friends and family in Japan
by Louise George Kittaka
Another of our occasional "in search of" columns featuring people hoping for a blast from their pasts, along with an update on efforts to help children and parents in international abduction cases.
How-tos | LIFELINES Apr 25, 2018
A primer on navigating your ID landscape
by Louise George Kittaka
A number of changes to Japanese ID registration systems have been implemented in recent years, some of them for everyone in Japan and others pertinent only to foreign nationals. The ins and outs can be a bit confusing, particularly for those who have been ...