MISATO VIEW. Issued Quarterly No. 72 May 2011

MISATO VIEW Issued Quarterly No. 72 May 2011 Misato ferry crossing was built by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in March 2009 to deliver goods by the Edo River for emergency use when a disaster happens. Misato city name this ferry crossing and near by areas as Crossing point of The Edo River and want citizens to use this river bed, ferry crossing, and cycling road as intercommunication place. We also plan to use the place for a public garden or pilot programs for some events. (An imaginary picture) We planted eschscholtzia (California poppy) seeds in the approx. 4,000 square meters of the river bed by the ferry crossing. We expect a flower carpet in May. Our Volunteer groups, Watashi-mo hito-hana sakasetai!, are active in picking trash, weeding and maintaining flower garden. There will be a fest in the flower garden where you can enjoy flower picking and food shop from 10:00 am on May 22 nd (Sunday). (Walk approx. 50 meters south from Musashino Line Railroad Bridge.) The ferry crossing for emergency use in Misato To non- Japanese are leaving Japan News for foreign residents in Japan! What is Re-entry Permit Analogue Terrestrial Television Broadcasting will end on July 24 2011! Have your child yet received Polio vaccine? Resumption of Hib and Pediatric Pneumococcal vaccination - Contents - page 1 page 2 page 2 page 3 page 4 Kodomo-teate or Child Allowance National Pension Insurance Premium has taken effect from April, 2011 Bulletin Board Waseda Park swimming pool 100 Foreign Monitors for prefectural administration are wanted Published by: The Assistance for Citizens Activity Division, Misato city Hall, 648-1 Hanawada, Misato-shi, Saitama 341-8501 1

To Non-Japanese Residents in Misato who are leaving Japan Those who finished studying or working in Japan and leaving Japan, need to visit Misato City Hall to fill out necessary documents before your departure. Procedures you might need to finish before you leave Japan: Terminate the National Health Insurance, and pay the tax left unpaid (settlement) Terminate the National Pension Plan, and pay the premium left unpaid Consult how to receive the Child Allowance and fill out the disqualification application Fill out the disqualification application for Child Medical Expense Subsidy and consult how to receive the reimbursement for any unclaimed medical expense for your child Payment of any other unpaid taxes or levies Regarding Kindergarten Tuition and Fees Subsidy, please consult with the principal of your child s attending kindergarten. To complete all the necessary procedures smoothly, please make sure to bring necessary identification certificates (such as your health insurance, foreign registration card) and other documents (such as statement of payment, or original receipts the hospitals issued, a confirmation letter indicating your departure date or airplane ticket ), your bank account information (bank cards or passbooks). If you need any assistance from an interpreter, please come to the city hall well in advance. An English-Japanese interpreter will help you from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. News for foreign residents in Japan! The Basic Resident Registration Act will begin to be applied to foreign residents from July 12. The Alien Registration Act will be abolished thereafter. Foreign residents will be able to get the same Jumin Hyo (Resident Record) as Japanese nationals. For more information, please refer to the following website. MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications): http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/jichi_gyousei/c-gyousei/zairyu_english.html 2

Whatt iis Re--enttry Permiitt? Any foreign national who resides in Japan and wishes to leave temporarily to visit other countries or to go back to one s home country with the intention of re-entering Japan before his/her period of stay has to get a Re-entry Permit. This is a special permit given to foreign residents by the Japanese Government in advance of their international trips in order to simplify the immigration procedure. Any foreign national who has been given a Re-entry Permit is eligible to re-enter Japan without any changes of the validity of his/her residence status or alien registration. If a foreign national leaves Japan without a Re-entry Permit, he/she will lose his/her residence status. In such a case, he/she will have to start the process of applying for a visa over again. It will take much time and effort. Permanent foreign residents or special permanent residents also have to have Re-entry Permit before they leave Japan in order to re-entry Japan. They will also lose their residence status unless they obtain permission before leaving Japan. Applicants for the Re-entry Permit have to have completed their procedures of alien registration and have to have plants to continue the activities authorized under their residence statuses. Application for a Re-entry Permit You can complete the application procedure for a Re-entry Permit at the regional immigration office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. If there is nothing wrong with your application, the permit will be issued on the day of your application. The Re-entry Permit sticker will be put on your passport. Types of Re-entry Permit Single Permit: Valid for one international trip only Multiple Permit: Valid for multiple trips abroad within the period of validity Multiple Permit is convenient for those who have many opportunities to go abroad for sightseeing or business and for those who may have to leave Japan for an emergency because they have a sick person in their family living aboard. Fee for application: The fee is 3,000 yen for a Single Permit and 6,000 yen for a Multiple Permit respectively. The applicant must make payment by putting the required revenue stamps on nofu-sho or a statement of payment and sign on it as the payer. A period of the validity of a Re-entry Permit : A Re-entry Permit is valid for up to three years within his/her period of stay, and for four years for Special Permanent Residents. If a period of stay is less than three (or four) years, his/her Re-entry Permit is valid up to the expiration date of his/her period of stay. A period of the validity of a Re-entry Permit starts from the date of issuance of your Re-entry Permit, not from the date of your leaving Japan. Make sure that you get the re-entry date right. If the remainder of your period of stay is too short to re-enter Japan within the period, you should renew your Residence Status first and then apply for the Re-entry Permit. If a Permanent Resident staying abroad cannot re-renter Japan within the period of validity of his/her Re-entry Permit due to some sickness or other compelling reasons, he/she can get permission to extend the period of validity for up to one year at diplomatic establishment abroad such as Japanese Embassies or Japanese Consulates. However, you must apply for permission before the expiration date of your Re-entry Permit. Consultation: SIS (Saitama Information & Support) - Gaikokujin Sogo Sodan Senta Saitama - Phone: 048-833-3296 Mon. Fri. 9:00 16:00 except National Holidays & 12/29 1/3 Application / Inquiries: Saitama Branch Office, Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau Phone: 048-851-9671 Address: Saitama Second Legal Affairs Joint Government Building, 1 st Chuo-ku, Saitama-shi, 333-0002 Floor 5-12-1 Shimo-ochiai, 3

Analogue Terrestrial Television Broadcasting will end on July 24, 2011! The current analogue broadcasts will be discontinued on July 24 2011 and will be completely taken over by digital broadcasting. Users of analogue television system, not compatible with the digital TV system, are requested to choose one of the following 3 solutions to get TV signals. How You Can Watch Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcasting: The followings are ways you can watch terrestrial digital TV broadcasting programs: 1. Purchase a new digital television you should make sure to choose digital TV. 2. Install an additional antenna compatible with the terrestrial digital TV if you want to use present TV set. 3. Subscribe a cable TV. You can receive the signals without installing a new antenna. Inquire for more information to cable TV provider. Note: For 1 or 2 you need to install a UHF antenna. For more information: Call: Digi Call center of The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Tel no.: 0570-07-0101(09:00 21:00 on weekdays and 09:00 18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and National holidays) * If the Navi Dial is busy, please call 03-4334-1111 For your reference: 1. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications English http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/dtv/english/index_en.html 2. The association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (Dpa)(English) http://www.dpa.or.jp/english/ 4

Routine Polio Vaccination in Spring, 2011 Your child can be vaccinated against Polio twice a year, in May and October. Those who couldn t receive it in last October are requested to be vaccinated this time. Vaccination for target aged children will be on account of the public expense (free of charge). Inquires: Eligibility: Children age 3 months to 7 years 5 months (2 days before a child becomes 7 years and 6 months old), who are registered in Misato City, and who have not yet received 2 doses of the Polio vaccination. Vaccination period: From Sunday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 31 Vaccination and Application place: Misato City s designated medical institutions Note: For more information, please refer to the Kenko no Shiori or FY 2011 Health Guide. Each institution administers the vaccination on different dates and times. Please confirm this with them and make an appointment by telephone in advance. Fee : Misato city will cover the expenses for vaccination for the target aged children. What to bring: Your child s health insurance certificate, Boshi Kenko techo (Mother and Child Health Handbook), questionnaire sheets etc. Next Polio Vaccination: The next routine Polio vaccination for autumn will be carried out in October. Inquires: The Examination and Prevention Section, Health Promotion Division Call: 048-930-7773 (direct line) Resumption of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib or PRP vaccine) and Pediatric Pneumococcal vaccination Misato city had temporarily suspended to administer both Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine (Hib vaccine or PRP vaccine) and Pediatric Pneumococcal vaccine, because death cases after the administration of these two vaccines on babies were reported. However, as it was judged that there is no concern about safety, the vaccination was resumed since April 1, 2011. However, as the supply of the vaccines is insufficient, your child may not be able to receive vaccination as you wish. Inquiries: The Examination and Prevention Section, Health Promotion Division Call: 048-930-7773 Kodomo-teate or Child Allowance The same amount of Kodomo-teate or Child Allowance will be paid as before, monthly 13,000 yen per child for the period from April through September, 2011. Monthly Amount: 13,000 yen per child Eligibility: A child age of up to the end of Junior high school. (Those between aged 0 and 15 years until March 31 after his/her 15 th birthday) Payment Months: June (for the period of February, April, and May) October (for the period of June, July, and August) For more information, please contact the Child Support Division. Call: 048-930-7781 (direct line) 2009 Pension Insurance Premium has taken effect from April, 2011 The National Pension Insurance Premium has reduced from 15,100 yen to 15,020 yen per month from April, 2011 to March 2012. Inquiries: The Pension Section; Call: 048-930-7704 Koshigaya Pension Office; Call: 048-990-3900; URL http://www.nenkin.go.jp/ 5

BULLETIN BOARD From May 2011 to July 2011 Waseda Park Swimming Pool will be Open soon! The municipal swimming pool located in Waseda Park has two types of pools; a unique shaped pool of 25-meter long and 1.2-meters deep and an infant pool with a slide. Location: 4-4 Waseda, Call: 048-958-5853 (10 minutes walk from the north exit of Misato Station.) Open: July 15 - Aug 31 Hours: 9 am noon, 1:30pm - 4:30 pm (It is closed at noon, and reopened at 1:30 pm.) Fee for Residents for 3 hours (9 am- noon, 1:30pm- 4:30pm) 300 (adults), 150 (junior high & elementary school students), Free of charge (preschool children) Locker Fee: 100 (It is refunded on your way out.) - General Rules - *Preschool children must be accompanied by an adult. (Up to two preschoolers accompanied by an adult can enter the pool.) * When the capacity of the pool has been reached, the Waseda Swimming Pool reserves the right to refuse admittance into this facility. * The pool may be subject to be closure for cleaning. * Children who are not yet toilet trained cannot enter the pool. * Please park your car in designated area. * Parking is limited. So visitors are encouraged to car share. * Please be sure to take away YOUR TRASH. * Do not have food and beverages, or smoke inside this facility. * Visitors are discouraged from using this facility for the purposes of any profit-making business. * This facility is for enjoyment of the water, so do not use the facility for purposes other than those originally intended. Contact: The Parks and Greenery Division, Call: 048-930-7744 100 Foreign Monitors for prefectural administration are wanted Target: Those who meet all of the requirements below to People age 20 or over People who have been registered as a foreign citizen in Saitama Prefecture People who have residential status in Japan People who can read and write in Japanese (Hiragana) People who have access to the internet and can check the website, and send e-mail messages in Japanese (Hiragana). *In case you do not have a computer, please contact the International Division of Saitama Prefecture) Time period: From June 2011 to March 2013 Content: Answer questionnaires and give suggestions and opinions to Saitama Prefecture How to Apply: Please apply through the website of the International Division of Saitama Prefecture by June 1 st. http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/soshiki/d06/ Inquiries: International Division of Saitama Prefecture Phone: 048-830-2717 Note: A selection method will be applied if there are more than 100 applicants. Bulletin board for all readers This is a place for you to post your messages. However, we will not place any commercial, political, religious or job-seeking matters. Please send your comments to us; 648-1 Hanawada, Misato-shi, 341-8501. Email address: shien@city.misato.lg.jp Misato View Distribution If you would like to receive this publication periodically for free, please call us on 048-953-1111, ext. 2304. An English-speaking member of staff is available between 9 am and 4 pm from Monday through Friday. The next Misato view will be issued in August, 2011. 6