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What's my status in Japan if....

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Wally S.

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...I'm US citizen, (also have Polish citizenship) I want to accompany my wife who's joining US Marine Corps, if she gets send to Japan which is quite possible.

Because she will be low rank, military is not paying for a familly move with her, so if I want to go with her I have to pay for travel and apartment rent myself. Which is why I posted it here because I'll be considered regular US citizen in Japan so different imigrantion rules apply, right?

My question is, do I need visa, and for how long can I stay? I been to Japan before, when I was in US Marines, but this time it's going to be quite different experience.

Can American citizens (civilians, and military spouses) work legally in Japan? On or of base? Can I fly a chartered plane along with military or do I fly comercial airlines?
 
the low rank thing should not be a problem. depending on what kind of orders you guys have. if you are not on her rank and she is single she will end up in the dorms/barracks and you cant stay with her. so if that is the case you will need to get on them so they will know to give her a house instead

where do you live now?

and being a dependent of your wife you can get a command sponsership letter and fly for free from seattle to yokota air base. and depending on where she is stationed the same flight will go to okanawa or iwakuni.
 
That is an interesting question, I'm not entirely sure what visa status you qualify for as the spouse of a member of the military (looks like Carlson does), but I can assure you that you will need a visa of some sort. How long you can stay and whether you can legally work will depend on what kind of visa you receive.

I'm sure you would know better whether you could fly a military aircraft as a civilian. Most likely, if you are flying a commercial plane and will be following local codes and landing at civilian airports, you'll need to pass some sort of standardized test and be able to speak Japanese (for communication with control towers, etc), but that's just a guess. Your best bet, if this happens, is to talk to someone with your wife's branch of the military, or perhaps someone in the air force.
 
When I was in the Navy at Yokosuka, I seem to recall that the Marines weren't too fond of giving command sponsorships. At any rate, there has historically been a shortage of family housing units on U.S. bases in Japan, even for those with command sponsorship. Low ranking folks go to the bottom of the housing list, if they even get on it at all.

Since Wally's wife isn't even in the Marines yet and hasn't gotten orders to Japan (nor even any indicator of assignment to Japan stronger than Wally's wishful thinking), I'd say answering this thread is purely an academic exercise.
 
Don't you need to be E-5 to take your family with to Japan?



Hi Carlson!
Well, when I was stationed in Japan back in 97-98 for one year, I remember that you had to be a sergant / E-5 in order to be able to take your familly with you to Japan and get housing/ quaters pay.

I think as a matter of fact she will have to maintaing room in a baracks, but she doesn't have to stay there every night. Because when I was E-3 in Japan my roommate lived with his Japanese g/f off base most of time...

We live in Chicago burbs now. So you're saying if I'm her dependant I can get a free flight along with my wife and the military personel?
 


Well, the chances of her going to Japan are quite big, since its either East coast, west coast or ..Japan she can go to.

I think it will be ok if she get's stationed let's say California or NC, her first contract, and after 4-5 years after she earns some rank we can pick Japan, and wont have to worry about housing overseas.

Still its better to plan now, because I remember from my experience if you don't you loose many oportunities.
 


Well there's comercial Airport in Nara Okinawa or Osaka and other cities in mainland Japan you can fly regular airlines...no problem, but then I will have to pay for that.

But my question was, wheather Marine Corps will pay for me to fly with my wife, if she is low rank, and she doesn't rate family housing overseas? And wheather I get military spouse ID right away after she graduates her MOS school and all basic training. Or do we have to wait till she gets her orders for pernament duty station?

I think as a spouse I can work on base, lets say at the bank, px, USO or other services?
 
yes they encourage spouses to work on base. and you will have to wait for her to get orders of some kind. depending on what she gets you can always try to get them ammended to you our on them with her.

i dont work tmo or anything but i do go over alot of pcs/tdy orders everyday at work and Yokota is the hub of japan for all military members flying in and out. its just to hard to give good advise tell you learn more.
 
This is not entirely true! Remember, we are talking strictly hypothetical since she isn't even a recruit yet.
If you came on your own, you would not be command sponsored, but...she could get approval to live with you off base.
I will post more later, but I have to watch a movie with the wife right now!
 
Last edited:

a new Marine coming overseas (anywhere) will not get modified orders to allow family members to accompany them. Unless you have special circumstances.
Add to that...by the time she completes training you are just as likely to be stationed in Guam instead of Japan since many Marines are being relocated there within the next 8-10 years.

and being a dependent of your wife you can get a command sponsership letter and fly for free from seattle to yokota air base. and depending on where she is stationed the same flight will go to okanawa or iwakuni.
Click to expand...

As stated above, this probably will not happen for you. You could come over, on your own, on your own money, on a tourist visa. Find your own apartment, a 1DK, or 1LDK is possible for $300-$500/month. IF she could get her orders modified, she would be allowed to live with you...but it is not guaranteed. So the next problem is that she wouldn't have a car (wouldn't be allowed). Unless...Do you have kids?

If you have kids, things become a little easier. If you don't, get her knocked up soon after her boot camp leave.

Next question...Do you think it is a good idea for your marriage, for you to come to Japan? I mean, you obviously still have a thing for your old girlfriend.
 
Good point CC1, I was wondering about the whole ex girlfriend and being full of regret one minute, and no regret the next minute.

Is it possible Wally that you are trying to get your wife to be stationed in Japan? Does she know about all the trauma affecting you since your japanese girlfriend Junko?
 


Well, I didn't want discussion to go that way, because the admin will think it's about Junko again..., but yes, my wife knows about my Japanese ex- and how I feel about her.

I spoke with my wife and we have decided it might be a "crisis" that we are going through, and we both want to give us another chance. Still, I told her if for some reason we split, I would propably end up with another asian girl, because I had Japanese, and Thai/American girlfriend, before I met my wife who's Polish, and I got used to being with asian women.

I'm not sure if changes with my wife carier, are going to make a difference with our relationship, but she was hoping I'll have a chance to miss her when she is on deployment, the way I missed my Japanese ex before.

Anyways, we can always go to Japan during her second enlistment because I think its fascinating country, and I wouldn't mind going there again someday. You see I've always been on the move, and lived in 3 different countries. If I don't accompany my wife to Japan, Im planning to do bussiness in Japan, which I don't want to disclose the details off right now.
 
CC1 said:
How old is your wife btw?
Click to expand...

My wife is 26...And the maximum age requirement for military service is 32 I think. For example I was 23 when I joined, and the female sergaent that actually recruted me was 27 when she joined...
 
When I was a DI, one of my recruits was 35...everything is waiverable!
 
Aw, the british army upper limit is 25-26, .

I've toyed with the idea of joining the army but i dunno im really military stuff, and ultimately, im just not going to want to be in the situation of possibly having to fire upon another human being, being attacked or not, i'll choke, and get shot up for my human compassion and inability to kill.

Plus unlike Americans (iraq recently, aside) British tend to be in active deployments in hot-spots rather then cushy Japan or remote safe american island bases.
 
nurizeko said:
Plus unlike Americans (iraq recently, aside) British tend to be in active deployments in hot-spots rather then cushy Japan or remote safe american island bases.
Click to expand...

That is probably because the Brit's can't or don't get anywhere anymore without asking the US military for permission first.
 

Dude you are seriously planning way too far ahead here. If I read this thread right your wife isn't even in the military yet and now you are already talking about her 2nd enlistment!

Are you planning to live off of her? Why don't you join the military and let your wife be the dependant.

Call me old fashioned here but there is no way I could let my wife join the military and let me tag along like some puppy, plus it sounds like YOUR fascination with asia and things Japanese could or will get in the way with your marriage, just because you want to come over here to Japan.

Something is definetly wrong here.
 
And be fair to your wife...why do you want to go to japan so much?....why have you decided suddenly to date asians?.

When we were advising you, we were saying try and fix your current marriage and get proffessional marriage councilling, not plan a way to get to aisa then what i can only assume run off with some asian woman...or worse go find Junko.

Wally man, if you really think your relationship is over and your just going to run off with the next asian that will take you then divorce your wife now and be totaly honest with her why, dont use her in your scheme to get to japan or whatever thing i worry you might have planned that will ultimately lead to her heartbreak.

Your wife loves you.....if you love her at all, make the effort to make things work...please... ☝
 
And wise up to the fact that you were just Junko's gaijin plaything.
 
Some dudes would just be happy that an attractive asian lady used them as a f*** toy and be done with it, content they got used for casual animal sex without any expectations of commitment from a love-mad too easily attaching woman, or an unwanted pregnancy.
 
So, as I understand it, you are using your wife (?), who may or may not be in the military yet, and is, otherwise if so, in an extremely low rank, to get yourself back into Japan, so that--- you can, excuse me while I pause for breath----

---okay, meet up with another Japanese girl, because of your extremely harmful (to both yourself and your spouse) transferferance issues, for which all purposes and for all people involved in this horrible charade will be the death knell leading to ultimate misery?

Okay, did I get that right?

~

This doesn't have to be your story--- but it increasingly is, your story... The thing you have to realise is, if you are even telling the truth about your life (who knows, this is the internet and all---), you have someone who is with you enough to be your wife--- that person hopefully loves you, or wants to be with you--- they didn't sign up to be with YOU & JUNKO, it's unfair to her to make her take on that baggage....

You were in a relationship that didn't work out, so were a lot of people in life, but the difference is, here you are with ANOTHER WOMAN, who loves you just the same---- don't mess up, and treat this woman like dirt, just to get back to something that isn't there anymore...

Wise up Wally---- & please don't make any more Junko related threads.*

*ed: A lot of people go through life and don't get a second chance... don't be the person to spit in the face of that chance...
 
Response do Hachiro



I'm making more than my wife, and I have my own carrier. Besides my I'm less tied up with my job, because I'm an artist, and I can create my art anywhere.

Secondly, I been in US Marines for 5 years, and I did my duty, but I'm non conformist and I know I can do better somewhere else. And my wife wants some indepentence, and she's following my footsteps.
 
Independence in the Marine Corps?

You remind me of comedian Mark Sweeney who says he joined the Marine Corps to escape from his father's strict discipline.
 
Wally S. said:
Secondly, I been in US Marines for 5 years, and I did my duty, but I'm non conformist and I know I can do better somewhere else. And my wife wants some indepentence, and she's following my footsteps.
Click to expand...


You do realize, that by becoming a spouse you will have to be even more of a conformists then you ever were before!
 
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