Kirk here. This came to me via a Google news feed for “Kumamoto” because of the following sentence:
“On May 24, the Kumamoto city government, in effect, threw its hands in the air and posted a notice on its website stating that people who need certificates quickly should contact the local government of their registered domicile.”
The phrase “local government of their registered domicile” refers to the fact that the system is designed to help people who don’t live in the community where their family register (koseki; 戸籍) is kept obtain the documents they need quickly and easily. If you should be in a position to use it, beware that it’s been very buggy.
