Section
People & Life
Everyday life, work and school. The voices of people connected with Ukraine.
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Residence Card and My Number Card in One: The Specified Residence Card, From June 2026
From June 14, 2026, you can receive a “specified residence card” (特定在留カード) that adds My Number Card functions to your residence card. Switching is optional, and you can also keep the two cards separate. This article covers where and when you can apply, when there is no fee, how long it takes to receive the card, the expiry of your electronic certificate, and other points worth knowing before you switch.
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To Use a Nursery School in Japan, Both Parents Need a Qualifying Reason — Such as Work
To enroll a child in a nursery school in Japan, you need a certification of “need for childcare” from your municipality. The recognized reasons include working, job-seeking, illness, and being in school, and both parents need one. The Children and Families Agency says eligibility is judged by whether you actually live in the municipality, not by nationality or resident registration. This article also covers the fee waiver for children ages 3 to 5 and facilities you can use even if you are not working.
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You Can Still Attend Junior High Past 15: Japan’s 69 Night Junior High Schools
A night junior high school (yakan chugaku) is a public junior high school for people who passed 15 without completing compulsory education; MEXT counts 69 of them nationwide as of April 2026. Tuition is free, and more than 60% of students are not Japanese nationals. This article covers example enrollment conditions, what classes cover, how many people attend, and where to ask.
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The Child Allowance: Paid From the Month After You Apply, at the Municipality Where You Are Registered
Japan’s child allowance was expanded from the October 2024 payment onward to cover children through their high-school-age years, and the income cap was removed. Nationality is not a condition; for foreign nationals, address is confirmed through the certificate of residence. The allowance is paid from the month after you apply, with a special rule for applications made within 15 days of moving in or of a birth. This article sets out the monthly amounts, the documents needed to apply, what happens when a child is not in Japan, and how things are handled when you leave the country.
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The 5,200 Yen Monthly School Lunch Subsidy and School Enrollment Assistance: Two Kinds of Help With School Costs
From April 2026, national support for public elementary school lunch fees began, based on a standard of 5,200 yen per child per month. However, junior high schools and private schools are not covered, and some out-of-pocket cost can remain depending on the municipality. This article also covers “school enrollment assistance” (就学援助, shugaku enjo), which helps with school supplies and school trip costs, who is eligible, how families of foreign nationality are treated, and when to apply.
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Move-In Costs Run 4 to 7 Months’ Rent: How Renting an Apartment in Japan Works
When renting a private apartment in Japan, you are usually asked to use a rent guarantee company or provide a joint guarantor, and the cost at signing is typically 4 to 7 months’ rent. Based on a guidebook from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), this article covers the documents needed for screening, the deposit and key money, emergency contacts, how to find housing that does not refuse foreign tenants, and examples of public housing offered to people who evacuated.
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A Child’s Medical Costs: the Age Covered and What You Pay Depend on Your Municipality
Under Japan’s health insurance, the copayment for a child’s medical costs is 20% or 30%, but every municipality in the country subsidizes this. The age covered, income caps, and what you pay at the counter differ by municipality. Drawing on a Children and Families Agency survey and the examples of Yokohama and Tokyo, this article sets out how the system works and what to check before applying.
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From Reporting a Pregnancy to Registering a Birth: the Procedures and Costs of Giving Birth in Japan
Once you find out you are pregnant in Japan, you report it to the municipality where you live and receive a Maternal and Child Health Handbook. Every municipality in the country publicly subsidizes at least 14 prenatal checkups, and health insurance pays a lump-sum childbirth allowance of, in principle, ¥500,000 toward the cost of giving birth. Once the child is born, you must submit a birth notification within 14 days, and apply for a status of residence within 30 days.
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Electricity and Gas to the Company, Water to City Hall: Who to Contact When You Move In and Out
To use electricity, gas, and water in a home in Japan, you apply separately: electricity to an electric power company, gas to a gas company, and water to your city, town, or ward. Gas requires an in-person inspection on the day service starts, and your appliances must match the local gas type. This article also covers how to cancel when you move out or leave the country, and where to go if you have trouble with a contract.
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To Keep Receiving Your Ukrainian Pension From Japan, Complete ID Verification by December 31 Each Year
You can continue to receive a Ukrainian pension even while living abroad. However, under a 2024 legal amendment, payment to people temporarily living abroad is limited to a bank account inside Ukraine, and is conditional on identity verification completed by December 31 each year. Without it, payment stops from January of the following year. This article explains, following the text of the law, the verification methods available from Japan and the procedure for resuming payment once it has stopped.