How to Get the Koseki-Tohon (Family Register) of a Japanese Father
QUESTION 1
I am a Filipino-Japanese currently living in Manila. My father passed away 10 years ago, and my mother passed away last January 2018. I would like to find out if I was registered in the Koseki-tohon of my father. His name is Shigeo Yamagiwa and was born in Kobe. I hope that you can help me. Thank you – Andrea Yamagiwa
ANSWER 1
In order to acquire a copy of a family register, there are two kinds of methods. One of them is a method, which those who are described in the family register acquire by themselves. He/she will visit the municipal office of his/her permanent domicile, show the certificate proving his/her identification, fill in the necessary information into the request form, and pay for the necessary expenses. Or, when you carry it out from the Philippines, you must enclose the envelope for international mail, which stuck the stamp for a round trip. In that case, you should attach this copy of a family register and passport with your letter, which you do want, get a copy of a family register in English.
The other one is the method of requesting from a lawyer. In this case, you must show the documents etc., which prove your identification and your father’s identification after you pay for the necessary expenses (20,000 yen – 30,000 yen).
The following facts are necessary in order to obtain a koseki-tohon (family register) from the municipal office:
- Full name in Kanji character
- Date of birth
- Permanent domicile address (“Honseki-chi” in Japanese)
Moreover, a family register (koseki-tohon) is impossible to acquire at the Japanese Embassy in Manila. An issuance commission is just 450 yen to 750 yen.
QUESTION 2
My name is Yuie Angelo Daida. My father’s name is Masami Daida. He lives in Hiroshima. We had a contact with him when I was young but eventually lost in touch. He is the father written in my birth certificate here in the Philippines. My father is married with my mother through civil wedding. Can I still have my benefits of having a Japanese father? Hoping for an answer. Even if I go to the Japanese Embassy here in the Philippines and submit the birth certificate and marriage certificate, is there any chance for me to have a recognition? Or any help from the Japanese Embassy to contact or find my father to have the recognition that I want? Is it true that there is an age requirement to have the recognition?
ANSWER 2
According to your information, I can observe that your Japanese father “Masami Daida” submitted your birth certificate/cognitive report to LCR and were received and registered based on the Philippines family law. However, no one can find out that your father has already submitted your birth notification certificate, and it was accepted based on Japanese laws (Civil Code/Family Registration Law) to the Japanese government authorities. Moreover, it is not also accepted, either that he submitted the “cognitive report,” which means “this is my child by birth” to the municipal office. Try to get his family register, first.
Therefore, the paternal relation between your Japanese father and you are still undecided. So, you cannot receive a certain benefit on the Japanese laws from these reasons since you are not yet a “Japanese.”
In order to receive this, it is necessary to carry out the “cognition” by a Japanese father, which is provided in the Civil Code. If your Japanese father had carried out the “recognition” based on the laws, the fact will be described in his family register, and this process will build the paternal relation between your father and you. Then, you can acquire the visa as “Child of Japanese national,” and can enter and reside in Japan. Moreover, you could be able to acquire your Japanese national if you wish.
Office name: Miyoshi International Legal Counsel Office
Telephone/Fax (Japanese/English): 090-1436-4107(Mobile phone)
E-mail: miyoshi@ipcworld.co.jp or joshua-galasha@mvg.biglobe.ne.jp (Japanese/English) OR p-digest@ipcworld.co.jp(English/Tagalog)
Website: www.phildigest.jp
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