Joe Tomei here. This is another newsletter from the JET program advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott。At the end of the newsletter, they detail the process to renew your driving license, so if your birthdate is in the first half of the year, you may want to double check your license renewal date, because, as they point out, even though the physical renewal center is closed, you are still required to renew your license.
==== Additional cases in Kumamoto City Two additional cases have been confirmed since our last e-mail, both taxi drivers in Kumamoto City: 41st case (April 20) - Male in his 60s, Kumamoto City - Taxi driver, Unknown Infection Route 42nd case (April 21) - Male in his 60s, Kumamoto City - Taxi driver (separate company to the 41st case), Unknown infection route - Worked on April 15, 17, 18 and 20
Information regarding temporary closures and supports in place while the State of Emergency is in effect Kumamoto Prefecture has requested that non-essential facilities* be closed for two weeks from today (22 March) until 6 May 2020. Restaurants and izakaya have been asked to shorten their business hours. In order to support businesses affected by these measures, the prefecture will pay 100,000 yen to all companies that comply with the prefecture’s requests. The following information is from http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html:
Facilities which will remain open include… ・Hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies ・Nursery schools, after-school clubs, care facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities ・Department stores, home centres, supermarkets, convenience stores ・Restaurants, cafés ・Public transport services such as buses and taxis ・Banks, funeral homes, public baths, veterinary clinics, beauty salons and cleaning services
*Non-essential facilities include host clubs, nightclubs, dance halls, bars, internet cafés, manga cafés, karaoke bars, “Live Houses” (concert venues), universities, vocational schools, cram schools, driving schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, special needs schools, gymnasiums, swimming pools, bowling alleys, sporting facilities, mahjong parlours, pachinko parlours, game centres, theatres, cinemas, assembly halls, exhibition halls, museums, art galleries, libraries, hotels/inns (when used to host functions) and retail stores other than those which sell daily necessities.
In addition, some large shopping centres and department stores such as Tsuruya and AEON Mall Kumamoto have voluntarily closed: https://kumamoto-aeonmall.com/ https://www.tsuruya-dept.co.jp/eigyou/index.html
About Special Fixed Benefits – 特別定額給付金（仮称） “Tokubetsu Teigaku Kyuufukin” (Tentative name) In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government will distribute a 100,000 yen subsidy to every resident. Anyone registered in the Basic Resident Register as of April 27, 2020 is eligible; foreign residents must have a period of stay of 3 months or more and have registered their residency at their city/town/ward office to be eligible. Here is some the information that has been released so far on how to apply available on the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents website: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html#03
（1）Postal Application Provide your bank account details on the application form which you receive from your municipality and mail it back to your municipality, including documentation to prove that the desired bank account belongs to you as well as proof of identity.
（2）Online Application This application method is only possible for those who hold a My Number Card. In order to apply online, use the My Number Portal to input your bank account details and upload documentation to prove that the bank account belongs to you. (Identity verification will be completed using a digital signature, making identity verification documents unnecessary)
Application Period: This can differ depending on your municipality. The application period will begin in May at the earliest.
Beware of Fraud: Beware of scam emails and phone calls claiming to be from a representative of your municipality asking for personal information such as your bank PIN. Please contact the Police Consultation Phone Line (9110) if you receive any suspicious emails or phone calls.
Driver License Renewal As of today the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Driving License Center (免許センター, Menkyo Sentā) will not be conducting renewals of drivers licences on-site. The License Center remains open and they will still be conducting some services in a limited capacity. However, in order to reduce the number of people going to the facility every day, they are temporarily suspending some of their operations. Please read the following and make sure you understand how this will affect you:
① Those whose Japanese driver’s licence will expire on or before 31 July 2020. If your licence will expire, you must file paperwork either by mail or in person to receive an extension “sticker” to put on the back of your licence.
If you chose to do the process by mail, you must send all of the following to the the License Center (〒８６９－１１０７ 熊本県菊池郡菊陽町大字辛川２６５５番地 熊本県運転免許センター 運転免許課 免許第一係 御中):
- A completed renewal procedure application form (更新手続開始（継続）申請書, available in Japanese only, can be downloaded from the website here)
- A copy of both the front and back of your licence, attaching it to the application form.
- One standard size envelope (23.5 cm x 12 cm) with your address written on it with a 404 yen postage stamp affixed to it (404 yen is the amount required for registered mail and postage, this envelope for the menkyo center to send you back the sticker).
Your application must arrive at the center no later than the day your licence expires, so please send it with time to spare. If you do everything correctly, you should receive a sticker in the mail within two weeks which you can affix to the back of your licence, allowing you to continue driving. If your licence expires after sending the application, but before you receive the sticker, you must not drive until you receive the sticker in the mail and attach it to your licence.
Your licence will NOT be extended automatically, and you will be driving without a licence if it expires without filing this paperwork.
