News On Japan

Family Registry Certificates Now Accessible Nationwide

TOKYO - A recent legal change now allows individuals to obtain family registry certificates at any municipal office, not just their registered domicile.

Before this amendment, these certificates were only available at the municipality of one's registered domicile or, for those with a My Number card, at convenience stores. However, starting today, March 1, people can get them at any municipal office, regardless of their registered domicile.

In Hachioji, Tokyo, a man whose registered domicile is far away visited the municipal office this morning to get the documents he needed for his passport application right away.

User: "I've done this before, and I know it can be a hassle. It probably took more than a week last time. This change is much appreciated. It's convenient and a big help."

However, some municipalities are experiencing technical issues today, likely due to a surge in access, and have announced service disruptions.

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Typhoon No. 30 was moving north through the East China Sea at 30 kilometers per hour at 6 p.m. on October 24, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, as the large storm continued to weaken while approaching Kyushu, raising concerns about heavy rainfall across western and eastern Japan through October 26.

Typhoon No. 30 is raising the risk of widespread transport disruption across Japan on Sunday, October 25, particularly from the afternoon into the evening, as heavy rain and strong winds threaten airline schedules, railway services and major expressways. The most serious disruption is forecast from Sunday night through Monday morning, when the typhoon is expected to approach Kyushu and intensify an autumn rain front extending across western and eastern Japan.

Japanese drone manufacturer Terra Drone has delivered interceptor drones to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense for the first time, prompting Russia to threaten retaliatory measures on October 21, as Japan considers expanding domestic drone production and strengthening its coastal defenses through thousands of unmanned aircraft.

A critical security flaw discovered in PHP, a programming language used by an estimated 70% of the world's web systems, has triggered widespread disruptions across Japan since October 21, forcing banks, restaurant chains, government agencies and other businesses to suspend online services as a precaution against potential cyberattacks.

A growing wave of cyberattacks across Japan has raised concerns over the possible use of Chinese-developed artificial intelligence in hacking operations, with personal information belonging to tens of thousands of police employees potentially exposed and major companies forced to suspend online services, while cybersecurity experts warn that slow decision-making within Japanese organizations is allowing damage to spread.

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Japan's revised Imperial House Law took effect on October 24, allowing female members of the Imperial Family to retain their royal status after marriage and permitting the adoption of male descendants from former imperial family branches, marking the first substantive amendment to the law's main provisions since its enactment in 1947.

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