How-tos | LIFELINES May 1, 2016
Fathers seek advice about visas for divorced dads and scholarships for dual-national kids
by Louise George Kittaka
This week's column deals with two inquiries from American fathers of bicultural children.
How-tos | LIFELINES Apr 3, 2016
Seeking Japanese courses for mature students; reconnecting with a lost mother
by Louise George Kittaka
A British reader is keen to come to Japan and learn the language, and a woman in the U.S. hopes to get in contact with her Japanese birth mother.
How-tos | LIFELINES Mar 20, 2016
Patent and copyright laws can help you win redress when wronged
by Yuko Yamashita
A reader writes: I have a problem regarding misleading information on a home page, confusing labels and the use of my intellectual property rights on some products.
How-tos | LIFELINES Mar 13, 2016
Saga of lost Rikuzentakata tsunami boat forges pan-Pacific friendship
by Louise George Kittaka
A new children's book recounts events following the 3/11 disasters that have led to a forging of bonds and cross-cultural exchange between young people in Tohoku and the U.S. West Coast.
How-tos | LIFELINES Feb 21, 2016
Family registers are off-limits to lawyers unless relevant to a case
by Kyoko Hijikata
An American asks if he can hire a Japanese lawyer to find out whether his current wife is legally divorced from the Japanese man she once married.
How-tos | LIFELINES Jan 31, 2016
Bank remittance case suggests My Number may be tough to opt out of
by Louise George Kittaka
A reader asks about the relationship between the My Number registration system and sending money abroad.
How-tos | LIFELINES Jan 10, 2016
Treaty obligations and severity of crime key in extradition cases
by Toshiteru Shibaike
Although the number of fugitives extradited from Japan is small, this does not mean that the crime concerned has to be particularly grave for an extradition to go ahead.
How-tos | LIFELINES Jan 3, 2016
Readers hoping for a reunion in the new year
by Louise George Kittaka
Does anyone have any information that might help these readers reconnect?
How-tos | LIFELINES Dec 20, 2015
More on pensions: what to expect and when you can get it
by Louise George Kittaka
Following up on the Lifelines special on the Japan pension system, here are some more questions from readers.
How-tos | LIFELINES Dec 6, 2015
Under Japanese law, there's more to paternity than DNA
by Akira Ishizuka
A reader asks: Is a DNA test mandatory in order to prove the biological parent-child relationship in paternity cases in Japan?
How-tos | LIFELINES Dec 2, 2015
Life after work in Japan: tackling readers' pension questions
by Louise George Kittaka
Among the questions that Japan Times readers send to the Lifelines column, a perennial topic is navigating the Japanese pension system. Here are some answers.
How-tos | LIFELINES Dec 2, 2015
Complicating factors for U.S. nationals with Japanese pensions
by Calvin Tong
U.S. citizens who have contributed to both Social Security and a Japanese pension system for any length of time are likely to know of the 40-quarter/ 25-year vesting rules. There are two important laws to understand here: