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Have you been divorced in Japan?

musicisgood

Sempai
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4 Sep 2015
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Duped into divorce: Foreign nationals plead for help in Japan

I don't know the whole story but I don't think it is possible to marry a japanese then divorce them once you have permanent resident here? And stay here?
If so, can you members here educated us here. This seem to be a nice scheme ?

According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare statistics, the number of divorces between Japanese and foreign nationals stood at about 11,000 in 2018.
The number of foreign residents was almost 2.83 million by the end of June, a 3.6% increase from six months earlier. Of those, 115,545 are married to Japanese nationals.
Jukenrikon is going to be very popular in the future. LOL
 
Well when you are married that is one visa that is tied to marriage. I knew people who did not want the "marriage visa" and wanted a work visa instead so it was not tied to their spouse. Once you get the eijyuuken I think you are good to go, you can divorce and stay. Really it is not so different from the US. In the US there is this two year period after marriage with a green card but after that you get the proper card and can then divorce.
 
"Under the "fujuri moshide (nonacceptance request)" system, if either a husband or a wife visits a local municipal office and submits a necessary document, divorce papers will not be accepted, even if their spouse has unilaterally submitted them."

This is the key sentence from the useful article posted by musicisgood and something that concerned spouses can look into.
And if you're married to a Japanese national and living in Japan, do get your Permanent Residence as soon as you can, so that your residency in Japan is not dependent on them or your employer.
 
I know of a few still in Japan, under the new and old immigration systems, that are still here and divorced with permanent residency.

For them, it wasn't a "scheme" though. They had legitimate marriages.

Getting permanent residency here was probably easier, by appearance, on the outside than it is to get a US green card. But immigration here wanted to see pictures, hear stories, see bank accounts, etc. prior to my marriage visa and permanent residency (10 years after with some gaps as I went SOFA and the immigration clock reset each time) to ensure nothing scheming was going on.
 
I heard by immigration that having permanent resident really doesn't mean of anything substantial . They still can deport you if they want to.
 
Well, "Permanent Resident" isn't a blank check to commit any crime or do any nastiness you want to. But it most definitely is substantial as it allows you to take out loans, it allows you to stay here without renewing your visa every so often, it allows you to change jobs more easily than with a normal work visa, it allows you to continue living here even if you are divorced or lose your job. Make no mistake, Permanent Resident status is a very good thing. But it won't shield you from deportation if you break the law.
 
Well, "Permanent Resident" isn't a blank check to commit any crime or do any nastiness you want to. But it most definitely is substantial as it allows you to take out loans, it allows you to stay here without renewing your visa every so often, it allows you to change jobs more easily than with a normal work visa, it allows you to continue living here even if you are divorced or lose your job. Make no mistake, Permanent Resident status is a very good thing. But it won't shield you from deportation if you break the law.
Adding to what Majestic said, although it's not impossible to get a home loan without PR, when I was being shown various houses a few years ago, the estate agent visibly relaxed as soon as they learned that I had PR.
 
Adding to what Majestic said, although it's not impossible to get a home loan without PR, when I was being shown various houses a few years ago, the estate agent visibly relaxed as soon as they learned that I had PR.
I couldn't even get a ¥1m car loan when I first got my marriage visa. I had to get a car loan from my US bank; even though they couldn't be on the title, they surprisingly gave me the 2.5% rate over 11% personal loan rate.

Fast forward years later as a permanent resident when I learned that I could save ¥300 per month (hey, that's 3 1.5 liter coffees) if I paid with an AU Mastercard, I signed up, saying to myself I'll either be declined or be given an entry level of 3man, just enough to go month to month paying my bill and saving money.

Nope. They extended me a 500,000 yen line of credit. 🤪
 
Well, "Permanent Resident" isn't a blank check to commit any crime or do any nastiness you want to. But it most definitely is substantial as it allows you to take out loans, it allows you to stay here without renewing your visa every so often, it allows you to change jobs more easily than with a normal work visa, it allows you to continue living here even if you are divorced or lose your job. Make no mistake, Permanent Resident status is a very good thing. But it won't shield you from deportation if you break the law.
Yes, that was my main point: But it won't shield you from deportation if you break the law.
 
I have been a permanent resident since the 1980s. I never had a marriage visa. I did marry and sadly divorced due to health reasons. Residency is retained. I am now retired and receive a full pension. If I leave for a long time it's fine as long as I have re entry permission.

Why would you want to commit crimes why even take out a loan? SMH
 
Why would you want to commit crimes why even take out a loan?

Because the law is garbage and not only in Japan. A lot of "crimes" are totally victimless and no puss ridden government has any business stealing that freedom from us.

Loans are for when you want to enjoy something now instead of wait until you are old. And if you live in a drafty, decrepit house you might not live long enough to save up the money for a new house. And then of course there is the start of a business. Loans can prevent you wasting literal years saving up when you could start today and come out even much faster.
 
Houses quickly become valueless. It's the land that costs the money. I had the opportunity to buy but did not. Although I love Japan I certainly had no plans to retire there.
 
Japan is not unusual on being able to deport permanent residences, in the US they can deport green card holders as well. permanent residence is still a very good thing. One could even become a citizen if they wanted, I have known of two of those, one did it for just the reason you said so they cannot be deported for any reason. I generally do not recommend citizenship as Japan requires you to renounce any other citizenships. I may perhaps be in a position to inherit land in Japan so not decided on the retire thing yet the houses (structure) themselves have typically decreased in value that is true. I have been with my lady whom I married in Japan for some years now, I suppose in some ways I won the lottery.
 
Japan is not unusual on being able to deport permanent residences, in the US they can deport green card holders as well. permanent residence is still a very good thing. One could even become a citizen if they wanted, I have known of two of those, one did it for just the reason you said so they cannot be deported for any reason. I generally do not recommend citizenship as Japan requires you to renounce any other citizenships. I may perhaps be in a position to inherit land in Japan so not decided on the retire thing yet the houses (structure) themselves have typically decreased in value that is true. I have been with my lady whom I married in Japan for some years now, I suppose in some ways I won the lottery.
One person I know said it was easier to get citizenship than permanent residency. He was from Hong Kong pre-handover so he was going to lose the country of his citizenship anyway. It worked out well for him.
 
One person I know said it was easier to get citizenship than permanent residency. He was from Hong Kong pre-handover so he was going to lose the country of his citizenship anyway. It worked out well for him.

That's a rumour I have heard frequently, too. A Chinese acquaintance received her Japanese nationality after just five years of residence. Nowadays, applying for PR is a mere formality provided you fulfil certain criteria.
 
Obviously over the years PR has become more difficult to obtain. I had a friend who was on a 1 year work visa. He got married and his visa was reduced to 6 months. He was told he would it would take up to 3 years possibly to get residency.

My PR was criteria was mainly based on the fact that I had been living there for a number of years and had been teaching Japanese culture to Japanese people. I had previously been a student and had taken over from my Sensei.
 
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