[USEFUL INFO] Converting Your Foreign Driver's License in Yokohama (Kanagawa)

Kanagwa Prefecture Police website (in Japanese)
Converting Foreign Driver's License to Japanese License

Details available in 9 languages (English, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Vietnamese, Persian and Russian: PDF documents)
https://www.police.pref.kanagawa.jp/eng/e_mes/eng83000.htm#exchanging

People from certain countries (about 25 countries) don't have to take the written and driving tests. If you don't speak Japanese, you need to bring an interpreter. The procedure, cost, what documents to bring are different according to where your foreign license was issued. You can ask the Foreign License Section of the center beforehand (the number is written on the bottom of the documents above).

You have to go to the Kanagawa Prefecture Police Driving License Center in Futamatagawa, Yokohama (15-minute walk from Sotetsu Line Futamatagawa station, or 5 minutes by bus from the station).



This article on Japan Info Swap is helpful, too!
Converting your Foreign Driver's License to to a Japanese Driver's License

[WELFARE] Child Allowance Genkyo Todoke 2015

You may have received an yellow envelop from the city. It's about Child Allowance and you need to turn it in by June 30th, 2015, to receive the allowance.

This year, the difference is the form is for two different purposes:
1) Child Allowance or Special Benefit*
2) Extra Benefit** for child-rearing household

*Special Benefit is for households whose income exceed the limit. Basically ¥5,000/month. Child Allowance is for households with income under the limit and the price depends on the number of your children and their age (¥10,000-15,000/month).

**Extra Benefit is to deal with the consumption tax raise in 2014, ¥3,000, and only once. Those who receive Special Benefit cannot apply for this.

In the envelop, you find:
1) A green sheet (the announcement of the present condition form)
2) A white one-sided sheet (how to fill in the form)
3) A white sheet (the child allowance present condition form/Extra Benefit application)
4) A green sheet (the announcement of the present condition form)

1) SUMMERY OF THE GREEN SHEET

 

You need to turn in the present condition form: in case it wasn't submitted, you will not receive the allowance in June and after.

What To Submit

-A present condition form
-A copy of your health insurance card or pension certificate etc.
-Your income certificate if you became a citizen of Yokohama after January 2nd, 2015.
*Please ask the office of your previous town/city for the certificate.
*Those who have been living in Yokoahama since before January 1st, 2015 don't need this.
-In case you need another document to turn in, you will be notified of it later.

Deadline

Tuesday, 30th June, 2015

How to Submit

1) By Post: Use the green envelop enclosed in the letter. Please put the right amount of postal stamp. You can also make use of registered mail system of the Japan Post if you wish.

2) At the Counter: You can bring it to your ward office, こども家庭支援課 (kodomo katei shien ka).
*Be careful of their business hours.

Income Check of the Recipient's Spouse

To confirm who is the main supporter of your household (=who earns more), the income of the recipient's spouse must be checked and the accordance is needed.

Prescription of Child Allowance

You will no longer have right to receive Child Allowance in two years without submitting the present condition form.

Extra Benefit for Child-rearing Households

You can apply to this benefit by the present condition form of Child Allowance.
Target : Those who receive Child Allowance of June 2015 (except for those who receive Special Benefit)

Amount: 3,000 yen, one time only

How to receive: The money will be transferred to your bank account that you use to receive Child Allowance

Deadline: December 1st, 2015

2) SUMMERY OF THE WHITE ONE-SIDED SHEET

How to fill in the form

①Date of application  ex) June 15th, 2015 = 平成　27 年 　6 月　15　日
Always in  yy-mm-dd order in Japan. The year 2015 is Heisei 27.
②Recipient information area
③The recipient's name (who earns the most in your household)
④Family name stamp if you have. Not necessary if the name was signed by the recipient.
⑤Sex: Male 男　Female 女
⑥Birthdate (may be already printed)
⑦Address (may be already printed), if the current address isn't what is printed here, erase with two parallel lines and fill in the correct address
⑧Telephone numbers (upper line: home, lower line: mobile phone number)
⑨Do you have a spouse? Circle Yes: 有　No: 無
If no, you don't have to fill in the Spouse area.
⑩Occupation: Circle  会社員 employee 自営業 self-employed 公務員 civil servant 無職 unemployed その他 others
⑪Office name and number
⑫Pension Type: (1) Employee's Pension (2) Mutual Aid Pension (3) National Pension (including no.3) (4) No Pension
Those with (1) and (2) are required to photocopy the health insurance card and attach it on the back of the form.
⑬Income Certificate: Where was your address on January 1st 2015? Circle 横浜市 the city of Yokohama　横浜市外 out of the city of Yokohama　国外 outside Japan
For those who lived outside Japan before January 2nd, 2015, no need to turn in the income certificate.
⑭Spouse's information area
⑮Name of the spouse
⑯Birthdate of the spouse
⑰Do you live together with your spouse? Circle Yes:同居　No:別居
⑱Address on January 1st 2015. Circle 横浜市 the city of Yokohama　横浜市外 out of the city of Yokohama　国外 outside Japan
⑲Occupation: Circle  会社員 employee 自営業 self-employed 公務員 civil servant 無職 unemployed その他 others
⑳Children information area: from left to right Name, Relationship (子child 孫 grandchild etc.), Birthdate, Living together or not, Living (must be 同一same if it's your child)
*Please fill in all your children from 0 year old to 18 years old (considered as 18 years old till March 31st after turning 18).
*Need another document if you live separately with your children. If your children live outside Yokohama, you need an original Jyumin-hyo (resident's card) with all your family member names.
*In case your children are studying abroad, write down the date of departure. Need another document to submit, too.

3) SUMMERY OF THE WHITE SHEET (FORM)

The bottom part

*You cannot change the recipient with this form. 

*If you have more than six children, you have two sheets of this form. Please submit both.

The number of target children of Extra Benefit and the amount.  Number of target children: (  **  persons)  Amount (****yen)

Convenant clauses and agreement

(1) I agree with that the city of Yokohama searches the recipient and his/her spouse's income information for official records or documents at other executive agencies  in order to judge the necessary conditions to provide Child Allowance and Extra Benefit. 

(2) In case the necessary information cannot be confirmed by official records, I will turn in necessary documents.

(3) After the application to Extra Benefit is passed, the application form is considered as a request (bill).

(4) After the application is passed, if the payment is not completed for reasons such as failure in transferring money caused by imperfect application, the application is considered to be withdrawn. 

(5) I agree that if the application didn't reach to the city by the postmark deadline (December 1st, 2015), the Extra Benefit of the year 2015 are not provided.

(6) I agree that the target children of Extra Benefit are the target of the June 2015 Child Allowance. 

The backside

①Please attach a copy of your health insurance on this side.
②Why a copy of our health insurance card is necessary?
We need to confirm that the claimant of the allowance is "employed" or not (*1) and we use the copy of "the health insurance card of the claimant" as an easy way to check it.
 You may need to turn in the pension certificate depending on your pension, so please read the following statements and submit what is necessary.
③1. The claimant is a member of
-Employees Pension (so-called Kosei Nenkin pension or Kyosai Nenkin pension)
If the recipient had an issuance card of one of below or don't know whats:
 (1) Health Insurance Membership Card (Japan Health Insurance Association/ Health Insurance Associations)
 (2) Japan Doboku Kenchiku (public engineering) Health Insurance Association Card
 (3) Private School Teachers mutual-aid Association Card
 (4) Japan Post mutual-aid Association Card
(5) Sailor Health Insurance Card
(6) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology mutual-aid Membership Card (limited to branches like universities)
 (7) Among mutual-aid membership cards, the one that it is clear the employer is an independent administrative institution or a local independent administrative institution.
 ↓
Please attach the photocopy of the claimant's card. *Not the one of your children.

④2. The claimant is a member of (1) Employees Pension or (2) Mutual Aid Pension (as declared on the surface) but the health insurance is National Health Insurance.
↓
Please receive a certificate from your office.
*Your office (company) will fill in the form on the bottom.

[WELFARE] Child Allowance Genkyo-Todoke 2014

The Present Condition Form (現況届 genkyo-todoke) arrived again this year. The form has slightly changed, so here we'll explain the new version.

Please refer the last year's post about the Child Allowance and the Present Condition Form.
2013 version

Just like last year, we are supposed to turn in the form by Monday, 30th June, 2014.

[LIFE]Basic Residence Registration Network System starts for Foreign Residents

Basic Residence Registration Network System （住民基本台帳制度 Jyumin Kihon Daicho Seido/ in short 住基ネット Jyuki Net）starts for foreign residents in Japan from 8th July, 2013.

You don't really have to do anything about this system, but your number will be sent to your post around that date so please check out.

If you would like the Basic Residence Registration Card, you are supposed to ask at the counter of your local ward office after 8th July.


Please read the following PDF provided by the government for more detail.

Source (in English):
http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/jichi_gyousei/c-gyousei/pdf/net-card_leaflet/net-card_leaflet_eng.pdf

[WELFARE] Child Allowance "Genjo-todoke (Present Condition Form)"

Child Allowance Present Condition Form (Genkyo-todoke現況届) in an yellow envelop arrived on the first of June.
About Child Allowance(児童手当 jido-teate), it is very well explained in English on the website of KIC, so please read it to understand what Child Allowance is. Click here (opens a new window).


This "Present Condition" must be declared every year in June to continue receiving the allowance mainly because the amount of the allowance is decided according to your income (which should be changed from time to time).

In the envelop there are:

1) The announcement of the Present Condition Form in 2013 (a green sheet)
2) The Present Condition Form
3) Guidance (how to fill the form)
4) Announcement of a misprint (a little piece)
5) A pale yellow envelop to return

What You Are Supposed to Submit

-The Present Condition Form -A photocopy of the Health Insurance Card/Social Security Pension Certification -Income Certification (For those who moved into Yokohama after 2nd January 2013 must prepare the income certification issued by the local government)
*If there is another document to turn in, the department of children and youth will contact you later.

When and Where You Submit Them

Deadline: Sunday 30th June, 2013
1)By Mail (please use the envelop enclosed and don't forget the postal stamp, 80 yen if less than 25g)
2)Hand it at the Counter in your local ward office (Children and Families Support Section)

Those above are written on the green paper (surface). On the back of the green paper, the income investigation of the spouse, the amount of the allowance, and the income limitation system are explained.

How to fill the form is explained in another page.

About Child Allowance Present Condition Form (opens a new window).