April marked
the start of the year for schools and many companies in Japan — a month when
many newcomers from overseas arrive in the country, just in time for the cherry
blossom season.
If you are
one of these new arrivals, a lot will be fresh and unfamiliar, and that,
unfortunately, applies to the problems you may face as well as the positive
aspects of your new life here. Even long-term residents are not immune to
complications related to their visa status, work, money, family and so on. With
this in mind, I thought it would be timely to take this opportunity to share
some tips on how to use legal services in Japan.
First, the
national and local tiers of government offer a range of free counseling services
in English and other languages. The Immigration Bureau operates a number of
regional Immigration Information Centers (see No. 1 below) that you can call
for general information and “one-stop” information centers in Shinjuku (2);
Urawa, Chiba Prefecture; and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. These centers can
offer advice on a variety of issues, not just those related to immigration.
If you
believe your human rights have been violated, whether it is related to
discrimination, bullying, defamation or privacy issues on the Internet, you may
want to consult with the Justice Ministry’s Human Rights Counseling Offices for
Foreigners (3). This service is also free.
If you work
here, you are protected by Japanese labor law. If you have problems with wage
payments, unfair dismissal or other employment-related issues, you can find
information and advice at your nearest Labor Bureau (4).
Local
municipalities also offer free consultation services. If you live in Tokyo, the
links prepared by the Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners should be
useful, as they show available consultation services in Tokyo at national,
regional and local levels (5).
If you are
interested in retaining a lawyer, there are a number of English-speaking
attorneys at private firms. Even if you do not know any English-speaking
lawyers, there are several local bar associations that provide legal counseling
for foreigners at ¥5,400 (tax included) for 30 minutes with free interpretation
(6). Some even provide a completely free service.
If your
income is lower than a certain level, you are eligible for free legal
advice from the Japan Legal Support Center (7).
If you are a
resident with mid- to long-term residential status and satisfy certain
means-test criteria (8), you can receive a legal-aid loan to retain a lawyer
for civil and family cases. Legal
aid is available as long as lawyers are contracted with the Japan Legal
Support Center, and provided that they are willing to take on legal-aid cases.
Even if you do not have a legitimate residential status, you may still be able
to receive legal aid in some cases.
Regardless
of your residential status, if you are unfortunate enough to be arrested, you
can consult a lawyer once for free. In such a situation, you simply need to
tell a police officer to call the duty attorney (tōban bengoshi) and the
officer will contact a local bar association and get them to call a lawyer (9).
The lawyer will bring an interpreter if you do not speak Japanese. A family
member or friend of the arrested individual can also call a local bar
association directly and ask them to send a lawyer.
No comments:
Post a Comment