Family Register (Koseki)

　The “Koseki” family registration system provides official verification of a Japanese person’s name, birth date, spouse, family relationships and other personal information. This registration system has no direct bearing on foreigners. However, births, deaths, marriages and divorces that take place in Japan require the following notifications.

　When a Japanese person marries a foreign resident, they must submit various documents, such as a completed marriage notification form, a copy of the Japanese person’s family register, the foreign resident’s passport, a foreign resident registration card and a certificate of eligibility for marriage issued by the embassy or consulate office of the foreign resident’s home country. (If the certificate is in a foreign language, then a Japanese translation with the name of the translator must also be attached.) When two foreign residents marry, the procedures are the same.

　If a foreign resident living in Japan divorces a Japanese spouse by mutual agreement, they may become legally divorced according to Japanese law. If both parties agree, please submit a completed divorce notification form to the municipal office of either the registered domicile of the Japanese spouse or the city where the person submitting the form has his/her address registered. If both parties are foreign residents, then please inquire with the consulate office of your home country for details concerning the appropriate procedures.

　If a person dies in Japan, a death notification must be completed. Please refer to page 48 for details. * If it is desired for the body to be shipped back to the home country, consult with the relevant embassy or consulate in Japan for the procedure.

　When a child is born, a completed birth notification form with the doctor’s verification in the column provided on the birth certificate must be submitted to the Civil Affairs Section within 14 days. Please refer to page 48 for details.

　A group of people who share the same home and livelihood is called a household (“setai”). Even if a person is not a family member or if a person lives alone, the unit is still considered a household. The person who provides the main source of living for the household is called the Head of the Household (Setai Nushi). Although household members do not need to be blood-related, friends who are living together are not considered a household member since they have a separate means of support.