Juminhyo
Encyclopedia
A is a registry of current residential addresses
maintained by local governments in Japan
. Japanese law requires each citizen to report his or her current address to the local authorities who compile the information for tax, national health insurance and census purposes.
The jūminhyō is different from a koseki
, which is the formal record of a family's history.
When proof of residence is required, such as for opening a bank account or registering children at a local school district, one needs to obtain a copy of this record from the local government office.
Once a jūminhyō has been registered with the local government, one can register for various social services including the national health insurance plan. Jūminhyō registration is also required in order to officially register a name seal (inkan), which functions as one's official signature.
system. This two-tier resident registration system is a source of controversy within the foreign community in Japanhttp://www.tabunka.org/newsletter/story.html, particularly from international families where non-Japanese family members are not listed alongside Japanese family members as being part of the same household.
It is possible, however, to add a footnote in the "bikōran" (remarks) section to a Japanese spouse's jūminhyō indicating that their non-Japanese spouse is the de facto head of household (事実上の世帯主, jijitsu-jo no setainushi). This however is left to local governments to decide whether to grant this request.
After leaders of the Aum Shinrikyo
sect were arrested for a Sarin gas attack
, members of the group successfully complained that local authorities in several areas had refused to allow them to register, effectively preventing them from receiving government services, in order to discourage them from settling there.
office in Yokohama
issued an honorary jūminhyō to Tama-chan
, an arctic bearded seal
who took up residence in the rivers of Yokohama and Tokyo
and became a national celebrity. This prompted a group of non-Japanese residents to paint whiskers on their faces and stage a protest march to demand their own jūminhyō.
There have been other instances where local authorities have issued honorary jūminhyō to animals, as well as to statues, snowmen, and fictional characters. For example, Niiza, Saitama
issued an honorary jūminhyō for Astro Boy.
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
maintained by local governments in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Japanese law requires each citizen to report his or her current address to the local authorities who compile the information for tax, national health insurance and census purposes.
The jūminhyō is different from a koseki
Koseki
A is a Japanese family registry. Japanese law requires all Japanese households to report births, acknowledgements of paternity, adoptions, disruptions of adoptions, deaths, marriages and divorces of Japanese citizens to their local authority, which compiles such records encompassing all Japanese...
, which is the formal record of a family's history.
When proof of residence is required, such as for opening a bank account or registering children at a local school district, one needs to obtain a copy of this record from the local government office.
Once a jūminhyō has been registered with the local government, one can register for various social services including the national health insurance plan. Jūminhyō registration is also required in order to officially register a name seal (inkan), which functions as one's official signature.
Controversies
Only Japanese citizens are listed on a jūminhyō; Japanese residents from other countries are recorded in a separate alien registrationAlien registration in Japan
is a system used to record information regarding aliens resident in Japan. It is handled at the municipal level, parallel to the koseki and juminhyo systems used to record information regarding Japanese nationals.Foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days are required to register...
system. This two-tier resident registration system is a source of controversy within the foreign community in Japanhttp://www.tabunka.org/newsletter/story.html, particularly from international families where non-Japanese family members are not listed alongside Japanese family members as being part of the same household.
It is possible, however, to add a footnote in the "bikōran" (remarks) section to a Japanese spouse's jūminhyō indicating that their non-Japanese spouse is the de facto head of household (事実上の世帯主, jijitsu-jo no setainushi). This however is left to local governments to decide whether to grant this request.
After leaders of the Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
sect were arrested for a Sarin gas attack
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
, members of the group successfully complained that local authorities in several areas had refused to allow them to register, effectively preventing them from receiving government services, in order to discourage them from settling there.
Honorary jūminhyō
On February 12, 2002, Nishi WardNishi-ku, Yokohama
is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 93,027 and a density of 13,210 persons per km². The total area was 7.04 km².-Geography:...
office in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
issued an honorary jūminhyō to Tama-chan
Tama-chan
is the name given to a male Bearded Seal which was first spotted on August 7, 2002 near Maruko Bridge on Tama River in Tokyo, Japan, and subsequently became a national celebrity in Japan.-Name:...
, an arctic bearded seal
Bearded Seal
The bearded seal , also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its generic name from two Greek words that refer to its heavy jaw...
who took up residence in the rivers of Yokohama and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and became a national celebrity. This prompted a group of non-Japanese residents to paint whiskers on their faces and stage a protest march to demand their own jūminhyō.
There have been other instances where local authorities have issued honorary jūminhyō to animals, as well as to statues, snowmen, and fictional characters. For example, Niiza, Saitama
Niiza, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and is essentially a suburb of the Tokyo conurbation. Niiza is located at the southernmost part of Saitama. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 159,741 and a population density of 7,010 persons per km²...
issued an honorary jūminhyō for Astro Boy.