Useful Informatmion of Administrative & specialized procedures in Japan

 Furigana (Kana over or beside Kanji to indicate pronunciation) will be added to names in Japanese “Koseki-Tohon”(Family Registers) ～“Revised Family Registration Law” will come into effect in May 2025.

Most people, even those who have lived abroad (outside Japan) for many years, are familiar with certificates related to Family Registers in Japan. This certificate registers and notarizes family relationships (specifically, births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and marriages) and matters related to a Japanese national's nationality. “Koseki-Tohon”certifies all members of the Family Register, while an “Koseki-Shohon” certifies a portion of the Family Register. They are introduced in my previous columns of the US Frontline, along with the resident registration certificate (“Juminhyo”). 

【Column dated October 17, 2019】 Japanese Family Register (“Koseki-Tohon”) and certificate of residence useful for overseas residents “Juminhyo”) to know

 The Furigana of the name was not included in the current Family Register and its reading was not notarized in the Family Register. However, with the enforcement of the revised Family Registration Law, the Furigana will be newly added to the Family Register in addition to the name from May 26, 2025. 

1.    {C}Purpose of the Revised Family Registration Law

While this has been considered as part of the digitization of administrative procedures currently being promoted in many areas in Japan, problems have also been pointed out in the handling of Family Register information. Kanji characters, which are unique to Japan, have a variety of fonts and readings, making the process of registering them in a database for digitization complicated and search processing time-consuming. In addition, some people have been found to be using multiple Furigana to impersonate different people, which has been a problem for some time. The new Furigana system is one of the measures taken to address these problems.

2. Notification and Confirmation Procedures

After May 26, 2025, when the system will start, Japanese nationals (including overseas residents) will take the following procedures.

1) Those who will be newly registered in the Family Register

When a person is registered in the Family Register for the first time due to birth or naturalization, he/she is required to report his/her Furigana along with the birth notification or naturalization notification. The address is the municipal office for residents in Japan, or the Japanese consulate abroad for those residing overseas. 

2) If you already have a Family Register and reside in Japan (have a “Juminhyo” that is certificate of residence)

You will receive a notice in the mail from the municipality of your permanent domicile with the Furigana (temporary Kana) that is to appear in your Family Register*1. If the Furigana is incorrect, the correct Furigana must be reported by May 26, 2026, one year later. The notification can be made (1) at the municipal office of the place of domicile or residence, (2) by mail, or (3) through My Number Portal Site. Furigana entered in the Family Register if not reported by May 26, 2026 can be changed only once, without obtaining permission from the family court.

 3) Those who already have a Family Register but do not reside in Japan or whose address cannot be verified

For those who do not reside in Japan or whose address cannot be confirmed, their Furigana will not be listed in the Family Register and they will not receive any notification. This is because the initial Furigana will be based on the Furigana of the name on the resident registration card (“Juminhyo”) when the system starts. Therefore, we recommend that you contact the municipal office of your domicile of residence to report your Furigana.

 4) Cases in which notification is not received despite having a certificate of residence (“Juminhyo”) in Japan

If you forgot to submit a notification of change of address when you moved to a new address, etc., or if there is a typographical error in the address on the notification, there is a possibility that you will not receive the notification. If you think you fall into this category, we recommend that you contact the municipal office for confirmation.

 3.Registered Domicile Address and place of residence (address on resident registration card, “Juminhyo”)

The mailing address of a Furigana notice is the latest place of residence registered in the Family Register, not the Domicile Address. Although somewhat technical, the “permanent Domicile Address” and the “address on the residence certificate” are two different things. When a new resident is registered, such as by birth, moving within Japan, or moving back to Japan after returning from overseas, his/her residential address is registered not only in the resident registration card but also in the Family Register. Therefore, there are cases in which the Domicile Address differs from the residence address. The address of residence registered in the Family Register (including past residences) can be confirmed by obtaining a “supplementary copy of Family Register” (“Koseki-Fuhyo”) at the municipal office of the place of permanent domicile.

 4. Cases of overseas residents

1) Japanese nationals (Japanese nationals)

As explained in 2.3) above, if you have submitted a notification of moving out of Japan (deletion of resident card) when leaving Japan, the notice may not be sent to you. If you reside overseas and wish to receive the notice, we recommend that you contact the municipal office of your permanent domicile and make the following application.
- Provide your mailing address (overseas address, proxy address in Japan, etc.)
- Request that a Furigana notice be sent to you.

2) Those who have acquired a foreign nationality

For those who have acquired foreign nationality of their own volition after moving out of Japan, if they have lost their Japanese nationality, their Family Register is no longer kept (i.e., they are removed from the Family Register), so their Furigana will not be included. Therefore, even if they have a certificate of residence in Japan, they will not be notified.

What do you think? Although the Family Register is familiar even to those living abroad, there are many things that may not be clear to you since this is your first attempt at family registration. For more detailed information and the latest procedures, please check the Ministry of Justice's special website below.

<Ministry of Justice Web site>
https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/Furigana/flow.html　　※Described in Japanese

 *1: The Furigana notification will actually be mailed to the place of residence around July or August.