The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo now requires people to apply in person for a U.S. passport.
The new rules are as follows:
All applicants younger than 14 must apply in the company of at least one parent.
If the applicant is 14 or older but does not have a full validity passport issued at age 18 or older, he or she must apply in person but does not have to be accompanied by a parent.
If the applicant is applying for a first-ever passport or a replacement for a lost or stolen passport, he or she must apply in person, regardless of age.
Only applicants who can produce a full validity passport issued at age 18 or older can apply by mail.
Full details of the new rules as well as downloadable application forms are available at japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7130c.html
To find out which of the embassy offices serves your part of Japan, visit japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7123.html.