In Japan, most administrative notifications and procedures are submitted and completed at a resident’s municipal office. Naturalization application by foreign nationals is processed by regional legal affairs bureaus.

【Procedures done at a municipal office】
* Family Register
　In this system, individual records of legal events such as birth, death, and marriage are officially recognized. The Census Registration Act of Japan is also applicable to foreign residents currently living in Japan.
* Seal Registration
　Certain applications, including opening a bank account and following legal transactions (e.g., purchasing land/cars), require a registered seal (called jitsuin in Japanese) instead of a signature. There is no exception for foreign nationals.
* Pension
　Please refer to Section G: Pensions.
* Health Insurance
　Please refer to Section F: Medical Services.　
* Notification of Marriage
　Please refer to Section C: Marriage and Divorce.　
* Notification of Birth/Death
　Please refer to Section H: Childbirth/Childcare.
* Entrance/Transfer to Elementary/Junior High School
　Please refer to Section J: Education.

○ Details of the general system and its procedures 　　
　　　Go to https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/portal/index.html(Immigration Services Agency)

○ Lists of organizations for processing and general inquiries
　 　(Notifications and procedures)
　　　　Municipal offices in Hokkaido(Excel) 
      (Naturalization application)
　　　　 Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau, regional legal affairs bureaus in Hakodate, Asahikawa and Kushiro

○ Links
　 　　List of Legal Affairs Bureaus in Japan(Ministry of Justice in Japan)
　　　　　https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji10.html[Available in Japanese]

　Foreign nationals who wish to work in Japan are required to obtain a status of residence which permits employment. If they are engaged in activities unpermitted by their present residential status, they must go to an immigration bureau and obtain a “permission to engage in activities which are outside the limits of their visa” status.
I　n Japan, national public job security centers (“Hello Work”) provide job consultation and recruitment services free of charge. Those who speak Japanese are encouraged to visit their nearest Hello Work. Those who speak little or no Japanese are also able to go to Hello Work offices, but you are asked to confirm in advance that you can speak with consultants or that interpreters are available at the location you wish to visit.
　Interpreters are available at the Hello Work Sapporo Employment Service Corner for Foreign Nationals.

Hello Work Sapporo Employment Service Corner for Foreign Nationals
　　　○English interpreter available
　　　　　　09:00-12:00 or 13:00-17:00 (alternatively) every Tuesday
　　　　　　13:00-17:00 every Thursday
　　　○Chinese interpreter available
　　　　　　13:00-17:00 every Wednesday
　　　　　　09:00-12:00 or 13:00-17:00 (alternatively) every Friday

　Foreign nationals are principally covered by Japan’s workers’ accident compensation insurance plan and employment insurance system. The former is a compensation benefit to the workers who become ill and/or injured during work, or when they are involved in accidents on their way to work. The latter applies in the form of the unemployment compensation that the workers can receive for a certain period.
　Troubles with employment, such as unpaid wages and harassment, should be addressed via interpreters or anyone who speaks Japanese, at the nearest Labor Standards Inspection Office or prefectural/municipal employment affairs office.
　The foreign trainee system was renewed to be the present technical intern training system on July 1, 2010. These two systems require different statuses of residence: “trainee” for participants of the previous system and “technical intern training” for the participants of the present one. Please browse the related websites to learn about the differences between the two types of residential status, “trainee” and “technical intern training.”
　The Hokkaido Labor Bureau’s Inspection Division has a consultation section to deal with the troubles and concerns of foreign national workers.

Inspection Division, Labor Standards Department, Hokkaido Labor Bureau
　 　 Tel: (011)709-2311 (Ext. 3538) 　　
　　　English available from 9:00-16:30 every Friday
　　 (Subject to change – Please contact beforehand)

○ Details of the general system and procedures
　　　Go to https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/portal/index.html(Immigration Services Agency)

○ Lists of organizations for processing and general inquiries
　  (Work qualification) 
         Immigration bureaus in Hokkaido
　(Consultation on job-finding)
　　　Public job security office (Hello Work)
　(Consultation on employment troubles)
　　　Labor Standards Inspection Offices Prefectural/municipal employment affairs sections

○ Links
　　Immigration Bureau of Japan
　　　http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/index.html [Available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish]
　　List of Labor Bureaus, Labor Standards Inspection Offices and Public Job Security Centers in Japan
    (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
　　　http://www.mhlw.go.jp/kouseiroudoushou/shozaiannai/roudoukyoku/hokkaidou/ [Available in Japanese]
　　Employment and Labor Administration Division, Department of Economic Affairs, Hokkaido Government
　　　http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/kz/rkr/rsf/soudan/soudansaki/zennpann.htm [Available in Japanese]

　In Japan, hospitals/clinics capable of managing foreign languages are limited. If you do not speak Japanese, it is thus recommended to be accompanied by someone who acts as an interpreter between Japanese and your own language. Alternatively, local international exchange groups may offer interpreting services. In case of an emergency, please consult the consulate general or consulate of your home country/region.

　Most hospitals practice a first-come-first-served system instead of taking appointments. Please make sure to confirm the hospital hours of operation beforehand, and to keep in mind that sometimes the wait to see a health professional can be very long.

　The Japanese medical system has two types of public insurance with medical benefits which aim to compensate treatment expense and lost salary during medical leave. One is health insurance designed for company/business employees, and the other is national health insurance for those who are not covered by the former type. Foreign nationals who work for an entity which is enrolled in Japan’s social insurance system or who have resided in Japan for one year or longer are required to enlist in either public health insurance. When going to the hospital, please be sure to bring your health insurance card issued upon your registration: presentation of your card allows you to pay only 30% of the total expense.

　If you fall ill or are unexpectedly injured during night hours or holidays, you may go to an emergency medical center or local hospitals on duty (hospitals subject to change) for first-aid treatment. Please find your nearest emergency medical center by reading your municipality’s free paper(s) or by browsing related websites.

○ Details of the general system and its procedures:
　　　Go to https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/portal/index.html(Immigration Services Agency)

○ Lists of organizations for processing and general inquiries
　　(Enlisting in national health insurance)
　　　　Municipal offices in Hokkaido(Excel)
     (Emergency first-aid during night hours and holidays)
　　　　Municipalities’ official websites Hokkaido Emergency Medicine and Wide-area Disaster information System

○ Links
　　　Hokkaido Emergency Medicine and Wide-area Disaster information System (Hokkaido kyukyu iryo kouiki saigai jyouhou sisutemu) 
             http://www.qq.pref.hokkaido.jp/qq/qq01.asp [Available in Japanese]
　　　English search page for Hokkaido medical institutions
             http://www.qq.pref.hokkaido.jp/qq/qq01fnlgsp.asp 　　
　　　Hokkaido Medical Association
　　　　　http://www.hokkaido.med.or.jp/ [Available in Japanese]
　　　AMDA International Medical Information Center
　　　　　http://amda-imic.com/ [Available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Thai, Portuguese and Filipino]