日本語
With over six million confirmed cases worldwide, Japan comes in line as the 43rd most affected country this month. The global pandemic has caused the livelihoods of millions in Japan. Even for foreign employees, working hours have lessened leading to lesser pays, and due businesses closing, others have also lost their jobs.
To alleviate the pandemic effects to all residents of Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has implemented the largest-scale economic stimulus package.
What is this coronavirus stimulus package? It is a package or budget of economic stimulus approved by the government to support the financial needs of the nation during a difficult economic period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government assigned the Finance Ministry to distribute the nearly 13 trillion yen stimulus budget for all locals and non-locals in the country. In the revised plan, per person will receive 100,000 JPY (over 900 USD) coronavirus payout or also named as special fixed benefits, and an application is required to avail it.
In this article, foreign applicants, such as yourself, will be guided through the process of obtaining the benefit of the stimulus package.
Who is eligible to receive the payment?
Everyone who is a registered resident receives the payout regardless of income and work position (e.i trainee, part-timer). There are no restrictions on age or nationality.
The good news is, Foreign Nationals are entitled to receive the benefit and will be provided, by the government, a special PDF explaining the “stimulus package” in English.
Foreigners should be currently listed on the country’s Basic Resident Register as of April 27, 2020, and have carried a visa for more than three months. However, there may be no restrictions based on how long you’ve been a resident of Japan.
In the case of a shared living arrangement (i.e. roommates/workmates), each person will be their own head. In other words, they can apply individually.
Students from low-income households that are exempted from residence tax will receive 200,000 JPY each and others 100,000 JPY.
Homeless people are also eligible to receive the cash benefit, as long as they are registered with a city or town.
Basically, in the case of a family, the head is responsible to apply. If you have a family of four members, then a payment of 400,000 JPY will be made to the head of the household.
How to apply?
3 Ways to Apply for Special Fixed Benefits
Apply via Mail
Steps via mail application:
- Wait for the mail. The municipality where you are registered will mail a “Special Cash Payments Application Form” to everyone who is eligible. You should expect two pages (one for you to fill in and one for attachments) pre-printed with the name of the head of the household, the household members, and the amount that you will be paid.
- Fill-up the form. The application will have you fill in the required information such as your name, date of birth, address, and bank account number.
- Send the application form together with the necessary documents. You will have to send the application form and the transfer account confirmation document/ bank details back to your local post box (no postage charge).
Requirements for Foreign Applicants:
- Copies of your ID (e.i driver’s license, zairyu card).
- Copy of either your ATM card or your bank passbook. But If you use the same account to make payments for local city tax or water/sewage charges, then you don’t need to attach a copy.
Note that if you are the head of a household but cannot apply due to poor health conditions or other reasons, someone else can fill out the form (perhaps the wife).
Apply online
Application for special fixed benefits can be done online through the MynaPortal site. A tutorial video on how to apply the site is available at the bottom part of the page.
For more details on how to apply online, you can refer to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications special website.
https://kyufukin.soumu.go.jp/ja-JP/apply/online.html
- Select your city
- Select the application for “special fixed benefit”
- Enter the required information
- Upload the bank account confirmation documents
- Send with digital signature
Requirements for Foreign Applicants:
- My Number Card (Individual Number Card). This allows you to verify your identity with a digital signature without having to mail a copy of identification.
- Bank Account You will need a clear image of your pass book, cash card, etc. to upload/ attach.
Installed Minor portal AP
Apply In-person
For precautionary measures, in-person applications will be limited to special cases only.
For instance, if you don’t have a bank account or you may have problems that cannot be resolved over the phone, you may submit the application form in-person at the municipal office and receive the money on a given date.
The local city hall will likely have a special section set up for such purpose, just look for signage that says “特別定格給付金” (tokubetsu teikaku kyufukin).
Make sure to have all your proof of residence and identity with you.
Requirements for Foreign Applicants:
- Basic Resident Register Card
- Visa
- My Number Card
- Other IDs
- Special Cash Payments Application Form (filled-out)
When is the deadline for the application?
The final date of submission will be after three months of the starting date, the Municipal governments accepting application.
For example, if it started on the 1st of May, then the deadline will be on the 1st of August. As mentioned earlier, you can only apply within those allowable three months. Therefore, you should not be late in the submission of your application.
How to receive?
Payments will be sent through your Bank Account or can be made over the counter at the ward or city office if you don’t have a bank account. The payment is tax exempted, so expect to receive the exact amount.
Be aware of scams!
You will NEVER be asked to input your ATM information or to pay transaction fees. You DO NOT need to use an ATM or go to the bank to apply for or receive the handout. Simply do not respond to any phone call or email saying otherwise.
The government will also NOT contact you in any way (mail, phone, email) regarding matters irrelevant to the application form.
Call Centers
The Ministry of Internal Affairs
Contact number:
03-5638-5855
0120-260-020
Schedule:
Monday – Friday
9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Additional Information
Foreigners living in Japan may also be eligible for payments from their home countries. For example, for citizens of the Philippines, the government’s current payout system is focused on low-income households and those who have lost their jobs. So there doesn’t seem to be any problem of receiving additional financial support for non-residents.
FAIR VIDEO
