Military Retiring in Japan

OUTLINE
1. THE PAPERWORK
2. LEGAL STATUS
A. PASSPORT & VISAS
B. SOFA STATUS
C. MISCELLANEOUS
3. DRIVER’S LICENSE
4. EMPLOYMENT
5. HOUSING
6. HEALTH CARE AND INSURANCE
A. RETIREES
B. SEPARATEES
7. MISCELLANEOUS
8. FUTURE CHALLENGES
9. RESOURCES
This is an informational pamphlet only and
is subject to change at any time. Please contact
the appropriate department for further information.
(I.e. housing questions speak to Kadena Housing;
Employment –Transition Office; Health Care- TRICARE;
Passports – Consulate; etc.). For their contact numbers
please refer to last page of the pamphlet.
1. PAPERWORK
To start the paperwork, see your local
IPAC Office or PSD and ask for the On-Island
Separation package. In order to separate
on the island without going back to the United
States, you will need to have employment and
the paperwork done at least 6 months before
you EAS. So, start early!!!
2. LEGAL STATUS
A. PASSPORT AND VISAS.
In order to obtain a visa to separate and
stay in Japan, you need conditional approval
from the Commanding Officer. In addition,
you need to request a visa at the local Japanese
Immigration Office in person. Finally, you will
need to complete the following steps if you fall in
to one of these categories.
I. WORKING (SKILLED LABOR)
a. With “Certificate of Eligibility”
Valid passport, visa application, photograph,
and an original “Certificate of Eligibility” (COE)
from the Ministry of Justice in Japan.
.
b. Without “Certificate of Eligibility”
Except the COE, you will need the above plus
documents outlining the receiving organization and
its business (copy of corporate registration, recent
profit-and-loss statement, list of alien employee, etc.),
documents certifying qualification (i.e applicants CV),
and copy of employment contract.
II. Work (Engineer/Temporary/Contractor)
a. With “Certificate of Eligibility”
Valid passport, visa application, photograph,
and a original COE from the Ministry of Justice in
Japan.
b. Without “Certificate of Eligibility”
Except the COE, you will need the above plus
documents outlining the receiving organization and its
business (copy of corporate registration, recent profitand-loss statement, list of alien employee, etc.),
documents certifying qualifications (i.e. CV), copy of
contract describing the activity, duration, and position.
III. US Spouse/Dependent of a Japanese
National
a. With “Certificate of Eligibility”
Valid passport, visa application photograph,
and an original COE from Ministry of Justice in Japan.
b. Without “Certificate of Eligibility”
Except the COE, you will need all of the
above plus Japanese family register certifying the
marriage.
1b. If Japanese spouse (JS) is employed:
A letter of guarantee from JS, JS’s Certificate
of Employment (COY), and Certificate of Tax Payment
(COT)
2b. If JS is not employed:
A letter of guarantee from Japanese
Guarantee (JG) residing in Japan, JG’s COY, and COT.
If you would like to come back to Japan
after separating in the US, you will need to obtain
a visa through the Japanese Embassy or consulate
located in the US. For more information, visit:
Japanese Embassy in Washington.
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/html
American Embassy in Tokyo
http://japan-usembassy.gov
B. SOFA STATUS
If you are currently an active duty member or a
spouse of an active duty member, you have Status of
Forces Agreement (SOFA) status. With this, you have
access to the military installations and the use of the
facilities (commissary, hospital, gym, etc.). You also
have a “Y” license plate for your car, the use of the
USPS, and you may receive military assistance if
involved in an accident and/or illness.
However, you lose the SOFA status when you
separate from the military and/or upon completion of
terminal leave. If you separate locally and on terminal
leave, you still have SOFA until your separation date.
Once you lose the SOFA status, you have 60 days to
either obtain a visa or depart Japan. Although having
SOFA status is not mandatory, finding a way to obtain
this status will make it easier for your transition and stay
in Okinawa.
C. MISCELLANOUS
If you, your spouse, and/or dependents reside in
Japan longer than 90 days, you are required to register
at the municipal office of the town or village in which
you reside. Make sure you take your passport along
with a statement of intention to stay in Japan.
If you are not a retiree, you will not have access
to base facilities. You will be treated like a visitor
and need to be sponsored to come on base.
If you elect to join the reserves, you and your
family will receive an I.D. card, have access to military
installations and receive TRICARE if you meet the
requirements.
3. DRIVER LICENSE
As mentioned earlier, by living here without SOFA,
you will not have access to things you might have
grown accustomed to. In addition, once you have
decided to live in Japan without SOFA, you will need to
obtain a Japanese Driver’s License. An international
Driver’s Permit will not suffice.
To obtain a Japanese license or Gaimen Kirikae,
you will need to bring the following to the Driver’s
License Center in Naha: a valid foreign driver’s license
(stateside) AND proof that you have stayed in the
issuing country for at least 3 months total after
obtaining the license.
Once you have those documents, you will need
to go to the Driver’s License Center and do the
following: submit application documents, take the
Aptitude test, complete a traffic rule knowledge check,
and a driver’s test. In addition, you will need to have
your foreign driver’s license translated into Japanese
which has to be done through a JAF Translation Office.
To obtain the application form for the JAF, go to:
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index.htm
There is a fee of 3,000 YEN which is nonrefundable and it usually takes 2-3 weeks to obtain the
translation for the license.
After you obtain your translated driver’s license,
you will need to get a Certificate of Residence at your
local Citizens’ Affairs of your local prefecture. There is
also a nominal fee for this certificate as well. After that,
you can visit the Driver’s Center with all of the above
documentation along with 5,000 YEN between the
hours of 0800-1200. The written test can only be taken
on a certain day and will cost around 2,650 YEN. The
driver’s test is next which can take 2-3 weeks to get a
time slot and cost around 3,500 YEN. (*all of these fees
are subject to change).
JAF Urasoe Office
Address: 1-48-7 Maeda Urasoe-shi Okinawa, Japan.
Office: 098-877-9225
4. EMPLOYMENT
There are two main types of employment onisland and on-base: Non Appropriated Funds (NAF)
and Appropriated Funds (APF). With General Service
(GS) jobs, a travel agreement and a housing allowance
will not always be given when you are offered a
position. Pay special attention to the job
announcement to understand who the company is
looking to hire (local hire, international candidate,
and/or world-wide hire). If you have a visa, you might
not be considered a world-wide hire and receive
housing allowance.
You are allowed to apply for positions while on
terminal leave from the military or 120 days before your
separation date. Again, pay attention to the job
announcement and contact the Human Resource
office for further questions about the applications
process.
There are contractor employment opportunities
and the best way to learn about the jobs is through
networking. Start asking around to see if anyone is
hiring, what companies you might want to work for,
and what positions are available.
Vacancies are usually posted on:
http://www.mccsokinawa.com/jobs/
http://www.usajobs.gov
For a more extensive listing and to learn more
about the Federal Application process, you can
contact your local Transition and Employment office.
The Transition office holds monthly Federal
Application, Resume and Interview workshops at Camp
Foster, Schwab, Hansen, Kinser and Courtney.
To find more information about the benefits,
SOFA availability, and other topics, contact the
Human Resource office located on the job
announcement.
You can also call MCCS NAF HRO at 645-3052 or
GS CHRO at 645-2475
5. HOUSING
Looking for an apartment or house to rent in
Okinawa can be challenging and frustrating. It is
suggested that you bring a translator who can explain
the terms of the lease. Also, keep in mind that some
housing agencies will not rent to foreigners.
There are some noticeable differences between
American housing and to Okinawa housing. These
differences usually are less square footage, no a/c, no
oven, pay for parking, bathroom facilities, no dryers,
and the location of the washing machine. When
renting, a Japanese sponsor might need to co-sign in
the event the rent is not paid.
After the contract has been signed, there might
be additional fees to include, but are not limited to the
following:
• 1st month’s rent and maintenance fees
• Insurance
• Housing Agency Fee (1 month rent)
• Deposit (1-3 months’ rent)
• Reikin is non- refundable (1-3 months’ rent)
6. HEALTH CARE AND INSURANCE
A. RETIREES
As a retiree, you are automatically enrolled in
TRICARE Standard Overseas if your information is
current in DEERS. You will receive care from either the
host- nation provider or you can also be seen at the
military treatment facility, but only on a spaceavailable basis. In addition, you may have to pay the
provider in full and then file a claim with TRICARE for
reimbursement. For more information, visit
http://www.tricare.mil/Resources/Claims.aspx
As a Separatee, you will not have the ability to
get TRICARE. Once you obtain your long-term visa for
Japan, you can enroll in Japan’s national health
insurance system. However, it does not pay for medical
evacuation. If you do not get enrolled in the national
health insurance system, you will need to pay the
provider in full at the time of treatment. If you are
paying in full, many places do not accept credit/debit
cards or checks drawn on U.S. bank accounts.
If you have another type of U.S. health insurance,
make sure you ask your provider if your stay in Japan
will be covered. Not all insurance companies will cover
you.
In addition, U.S. prescriptions are not honored in
Japan and some common medication for things such
as ADHD, are not widely available. You might also want
to check out the Centers for Dieses Control (CDC)
website to learn about local outbreaks and
recommended vaccinations. You can visit their website
at http://www.cdc.gov/
7. MISCELLANOUS
Japan is one of the most seismically
(earthquakes) active locations in the world along with
additional dangers such as tsunami and typhoons. If
you would like to make sure you receive travel alerts
and local advisors/ warnings, you can register in the
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
https://step.state.gov/step/
This is also beneficial because it always lets the
U.S. government know that in the event of a crisis, how
many U.S. citizens are located overseas, and how many
they need to evacuate if the need arises.
8. FUTURE CHALLENGES
Besides the cultural barrier and new surroundings,
there are other challenges that might be present later
on. First, if you are unable to get SOFA and/or you are
not a retiree, you will not have access to the hospital.
Second, the military Distribution Management Office
(DMO) gives you 364 days to decide if you want to stay
here. Up until that mark, if you decide to leave the
island, DMO will provide you with the same service as if
you were PCSing. However, at day 365, DMO will no
longer help you move your belongings.
9. RESOURCES
Information about Japan from the U.S. Government
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm
Japan Travel Alerts
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-warden.html
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
U.S. Embassy in Japan
http://japan.usembassy.gov/
Living On-Island Information
https://sites.google.com/site/urasoeblog/
Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act
http://www.immi-
moj.go.jp/english/newimmiact/newimmiact_english.html
US Consulate Office
Office: 098-876-4211
Email: NahaACS@state.gov
http://naha.usconsulate.gov/contact.html
If you would like additional assistance with finding
employment, you can contact your local Transition
Office.
For additional information/assistance:
Relocation Office: 645-8395
Retired Activities Office: 645-3159
TRICARE Overseas Office: 646-7704
Veteran Affairs and benefits:
VA representative on Camp Foster: 645-3508
Kadena: 634-3366
Off-base housing:
Kadena Housing: 634-1430
CAMP LOCATION PHONE NUMBER BUILDING #
Camp Foster 645-3151 Bldg. 445
Camp Kinser 637-2815/1307 Bldg. 1220
Camp Hansen 623-4522/7736 Bldg. 2339
Camp Schwab 625-2622/2699 Bldg. 3327
Camp Courtney 622-7332/7878 Bldg. 4425
Courtesy of MCCS Marine & Family Programs
Transition Readiness Program
Camp Foster
Okinawa, Japan
645-3151