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Japan · Official Resources

Government portals

Banks

  • MUFG Bank — Japan's largest bank with extensive global network
  • Mizuho Bank — One of Japan's three megabanks, strong corporate finance
  • SMBC — One of Japan's three megabanks with comprehensive personal banking
  • Japan Post Bank — Japan's widest savings network, accessible at post offices nationwide

Embassies in Japan

Official forms

  • Japan Visa Application Form — Visa application form for Japanese Embassy/Consulate
    Checked against the official page on 2026-08-09
    How to file
    1. A visa is issued only by a Japanese Embassy, Consulate-General or Consular Office abroad — it cannot be obtained on arrival in Japan or during a stay there
    2. Check the website of the Japanese mission with jurisdiction over where you live; requirements vary with the local situation and the purpose of the visit
    3. Prepare all the required documents
    4. Any inviting organisation or guarantor sends their documents to you, the applicant, not to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the mission — ask them to keep copies
    5. Apply by the method that mission specifies: at its consular section, through an accredited agency, at a Japan Visa Application Centre, or online
    6. Allow roughly one week for processing once the requirements are met; extra documents may be asked for, and cases referred to Tokyo take longer
    7. The mission or the accredited agency tells you the result
    8. Ignore websites, social media accounts and emails that ask visa applicants for payments — the Ministry warns these are fraudulent
    9. Remember that a visa is not the status of residence: the landing permission granted by an immigration officer at the port of entry carries the status that defines what you may do in Japan
  • Japan Residence Status Change — Change residence status in Japan
    Checked against the official page on 2026-08-09
    How to file
    1. Apply once the reason for the change has arisen and before your current period of stay expires
    2. Be aware that a status can be revoked if you are not carrying out the activities it was granted for
    3. The applicant files in person, or through a legal representative or an approved filing agent — staff of the employer, school or supervising body, or a lawyer or administrative scrivener registered with the regional immigration bureau
    4. Even when an agent files for you, you must be in Japan; from 18 you file for yourself unless an approved agent does it
    5. Pick the status of residence you are moving to and submit the application form and documents that go with it — they differ per status
    6. Submit to the regional immigration office covering your address; counters open weekdays 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00
    7. Or file through the ISA online application service
    8. The fee falls due only if permission is granted: ¥6,000 paid in revenue stamps, or ¥5,500 for an online application
    9. Standard processing is 1 to 2 months, and there is no appeal procedure against the decision
  • Japan Income Tax Return — Annual income tax return in Japan
    Checked against the official page on 2026-08-09
    How to file
    1. Check first whether you have to file a return for the year — the National Tax Agency's filing-season site sets out who must
    2. Build the return in the NTA's online return-preparation corner (確定申告書等作成コーナー): you enter the amounts and it produces the return
    3. Set up My Number Portal linkage in advance if you hold a My Number Card — it pulls withholding slips and deduction certificates in automatically
    4. Submit through e-Tax, or print the finished return and send it by post
    5. For the 2025 tax year (令和7年分), income tax and gift tax must be filed and paid by 16 March 2026
    6. Sole traders' consumption tax for the same year is due by 31 March 2026
    7. Cashless payment methods are available for what you owe
    8. If you run a business, keep the books and records the NTA requires
  • Japan My Number Card Application — 12-digit individual identification number (and IC card) for all Japan residents including foreigners — used for tax, social security, and administrative services
    How to file
    1. Foreign residents in Japan (with Residence Card) receive My Number notification from their municipal office
    2. Apply for the physical My Number Card online (smartphone/PC), by mail, or at the ward/city office
    3. Take-card notice arrives within ~1 month; collect in person at designated office
    4. Used for: tax filing (kakutei shinkoku), health insurance lookup, bank account opening, and administrative procedures
    5. From 2024, My Number Card serves as health insurance card — show at hospital visits
    6. Renew card face every 5 years; IC chip function every 10 years