Overview
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Welcome to the April newsletter!
Upcoming Holidays and ACS Office Closures The Embassy and Consulates will be closed for the following holidays:
A full list of all of our holiday closings is online here. American citizens who require emergency assistance during holidays should contact the office serving their part of Japan. If you do come to see us at the Embassy in Tokyo, note that we have two lines to enter the building; a (usually) longer line for visa applicants and a much shorter line for customers coming for American Citizen Services help. Check the signs by the Embassy entrance, which will direct you to the appropriate line. We use a computerized customer ticketing system; upon entering the Consular section, you can select the type of service you require (e.g. Passport, Notary, etc.) and wait in the ACS Waiting Room for your number to be called.
Security Situation In light of recent events and the upcoming G8 summit, the U.S. Embassy asks all Americans in Japan to review their personal security practices and to report any unusual activities to local authorities. The Government of Japan maintains heightened security measures at key facilities and ports of entry as counter-terrorism precautions linked to the increased tensions in the Middle East. The January 17, 2008 Worldwide Caution Public Announcement we distributed via this channel remains in effect. Please view the full text online here. You can always read the most current information online here. Since our last newsletter, the Department of State has eight new Travel Warnings (Eritrea, Algeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Kenya, Yemen, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and Sudan) and two Travel Alerts (China and Tunisia). Please review them online here. The most up-to-date information regarding permitted and prohibited items on flights can be viewed online here. For additional information, please visit "Americans Traveling Abroad" on the State Dept. website. To obtain up-to-date information on security conditions, call 1-888-407-4747 (toll free in the United States), or 1-202-501-4444 if you are in Canada or outside the United States.
Security cooperation between private sector and the U.S. Department of State The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) is a Federal Advisory Committee with a U.S. Government Charter to promote security cooperation between American business and private sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. OSAC currently encompasses the 34-member core Council, an Executive Office, over 100 Country Councils, and more than 3,500 constituent member organizations and 372 associates. The objectives of the Council as outlined in the Charter are:
Local OSAC meetings take place regularly at the Embassy. Interested parties can contact the Regional Security Office at the Embassy.
Alert: Possible IRS Scam The attached bogus solicitation for information, supposedly requested by the Internal Revenue Service, has been forwarded to the U.S. Embassy - Tokyo for clarification. If you, also, have received this information, please do not respond. It asks for information that will facilitate access to your bank account such that someone could pose as the real account holder. If you believe you have received suspect communication from the IRS, contact the IRS at www.irs.gov, click on "Contact IRS" at the top of the screen then at the next screen, select "Suspicious e-Mails, Phishing, and Identity Theft." Please see this Embassy Web page for additional information.
Economic Stimulus Payments Information - Additional Information Since we first published information on the Economic Stimulus Payment last month (See here), we've received the following two flyers:
We provide them for you in hopes they will help clarify whether you qualify and if so, what is required of you to receive this one-time payment. For additional information regarding this issue, please go to this web site.
Summer Olympics and Paralympics in China Are you planning to go to the Olympic Summer Games or the Beijing Paralympic Summer Games this summer? The Department of State has released a fact sheet that provides essential information for travel to China. Read the fact sheet carefully and start preparations for your trip early.
Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption Enters into Force The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption entered into force in the United States on April 1, 2008. The provisions of the Hague Convention now govern both incoming and outgoing intercountry adoptions between the United States and other Convention countries. The Hague Convention establishes international norms and procedures for processing intercountry adoption cases involving more than 70 Convention member countries. It mandates safeguards to protect the interests of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents. It also provides that member nations recognize adoptions that take place within other Convention countries. As the designated Central Authority for the United States, the Department of State is responsible for ensuring that these new requirements are met for all intercountry adoption cases under the Hague Convention involving a U.S. adoptive parent or child. Membership in the Convention will change the U.S. intercountry adoption process with respect to other Convention countries in many ways, including:
For additional information, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please go to this State Department Web page.
Individual Labor Dispute Resolution Seminar The Japan Foundation will be hosting a Fellows' Seminar on the topic of "Individual Labor Dispute Resolution System in Japan" on April 10 in Tokyo. Details of the session are on this English Web page. Admission is free but advance registration appears to be required.
Voting: American Samoa American Samoa now accepts the online Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). For more information please go to www.fvap.gov.
Voting: North Carolina The North Carolina, Davie County Board of Elections' new address is:
Davie County Board of ElectionsFor more information on how to vote in U.S. elections in North Carolina and other states, please go to www.fvap.gov.
Traveling with Pets As some of us prepare to come live permanently in or leave Japan, we cannot forget about the four legged members of our families and our other pets. A good place to start for information regarding this very emotional subject is the Japanese Animal Quarantine Service (AQS). AQS is the official source of information regarding the import and export of pets in Japan. Their very helpful English website may be found online here. You may also want to visit our Embassy Web site for information on exporting an animal, and bringing an animal into Japan.
Someone Asked the Consul About: Knives Everyone should remain aware that Japan has strict laws regarding the use and possession of dangerous weapons. Firearms are strictly forbidden without a proper license. Carrying a pocketknife (including Swiss army-style knives, craft or hunting knives, box cutters, etc.) in public is forbidden. Under Japanese law, carrying any such item with a size exceeding eight centimeters in length, 1.5 centimeters in width and a thickness of 2 mm in public can subject the person to arrest or detention.
Leaving Japan? If you are departing from Japan after a long stay here, and you formally registered your stay with the Embassy or closest U.S. consulate, please be sure to "cancel" your registration when you leave. You can deregister yourself by visiting the travelregistration.state.gov site. You may also want to consider unsubscribing from the newsletter mailing list. Please see the instructions on how to accomplish this below.
Unsubscribing We make every attempt to include in our newsletter information of real value. We know that should world events dictate, we can use this email channel to get important information to you, as we did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. That said, if you are leaving Japan or otherwise wish to unsubscribe from this list you can unsubscribe by writing from the same email address you used to subscribe, and send a blank email to:
leave-tokyoacs@mh.databack.comIf you need to receive these newsletters at a different email address, unsubscribe first, using the old address, and subscribe again from the new address.
Contact us:
American Embassy in Tokyo The Embassy helps Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.
American Consulate General Sapporo The Consulate in Sapporo helps Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi. As there are times when both officers are away from the office, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the Consulate General.
American Consulate Nagoya Consulate Nagoya provides emergency consular services including death and arrest cases for Americans living in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures. Please call Nagoya or Osaka for confirmation before traveling to Nagoya if you believe you have an emergency situation. Routine American Citizen services are provided by appointment only. If an appointment is not available, American residents may also receive service at the Consulate in Osaka.
American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe The Consulate in Osaka helps Americans in Osaka, Aichi, Ehime, Fukui, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Okayama, Shimane, Shiga, Tokushima, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama.
American Consulate Fukuoka The Consulate in Fukuoka helps Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi.
American Consulate General Naha The Consulate in Naha helps Americans in Okinawa and the Amami Oshima Island group (which is the southern island group of Kagoshima Prefecture). Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the Department of State.
Inclusion of Non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents. This subscription list is maintained by a private company and the U.S. Government cannot guarantee the privacy of any e-mail address.
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