株式会社パシフィック・ギャランティ

14/09/2026

After 24 years, Suica Penguin is retiring in March 2027.
JR East is letting the public help choose its successor, and three candidates are in the running.
Which one gets your vote? Let us know in the comments!

ctto: Metropolis Japan

14/09/2026

China's embassy in Tokyo announced on September 11 that visa application fees for Japanese nationals will rise from September 14, citing reciprocity for Japan raising its own visa fees for foreign visitors approximately fivefold in July. Under the new schedule, single-entry visas rise from ¥2,250 to ¥16,750, double-entry visas to ¥25,100, six-month multiple-entry visas to ¥33,500, and one-year multiple-entry visas from ¥7,500 to ¥50,250.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the change "a response based on the principle of reciprocity and equality." Importantly, this fee increase applies only to visas required for longer stays or specific purposes like business and study — it does not affect China's existing unilateral visa exemption for Japanese tourists staying 30 days or less, currently valid through December 31, 2026, meaning most short-term leisure travelers won't be directly affected by the change. See less

ctto: Japan Daily

China's embassy in Tokyo announced on September 11 that visa application fees for Japanese nationals will rise from September 14, citing reciprocity for Japan raising its own visa fees for foreign visitors approximately fivefold in July. Under the new schedule, single-entry visas rise from ¥2,250 to ¥16,750, double-entry visas to ¥25,100, six-month multiple-entry visas to ¥33,500, and one-year multiple-entry visas from ¥7,500 to ¥50,250.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the change "a response based on the principle of reciprocity and equality." Importantly, this fee increase applies only to visas required for longer stays or specific purposes like business and study — it does not affect China's existing unilateral visa exemption for Japanese tourists staying 30 days or less, currently valid through December 31, 2026, meaning most short-term leisure travelers won't be directly affected by the change.

11/09/2026

it is BER months ...and the Festive starts in the Philippines.

At a city block-sized market in the Philippine capital, a platoon of plastic Santa Claus figures parachute from the ceiling of a shop already stacked high with Christmas decor despite the holiday being fully four months away. The site is a familiar one in the Philippines, where September 1 means…

11/09/2026

Physician Satoru Kimura, who works in home-based medical care, wrote in President Online that PM Takaichi's August 31 social media post — emphasizing that improving working environments for caregivers is a top priority amid rising care demand and a shrinking working-age population — reflects a genuinely correct problem awareness. However, he questioned whether the administration truly understands caregiving's importance, pointing to October 1's steep visa fee increases as evidence of a contradiction.
Under the new fee schedule, residency status change and renewal fees will rise from a uniform ¥6,000 to a tiered structure reaching ¥75,000 for stays of five years or more, while permanent residency fees jump twentyfold from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000. The government's official rationale cites rising screening costs from growing foreign resident numbers, framing the fees as appropriate cost-sharing by beneficiaries of administrative services, with revenue also funding broader foreign resident policy. Kimura argues this reasoning overlooks the reality that many caregiving and healthcare workers supporting Japan's aging population are themselves foreign nationals, meaning the ultimate cost may fall on Japanese patients and care recipients rather than only on foreign residents.

ctto: Japan Daily

Physician Satoru Kimura, who works in home-based medical care, wrote in President Online that PM Takaichi's August 31 social media post — emphasizing that improving working environments for caregivers is a top priority amid rising care demand and a shrinking working-age population — reflects a genuinely correct problem awareness. However, he questioned whether the administration truly understands caregiving's importance, pointing to October 1's steep visa fee increases as evidence of a contradiction.

Under the new fee schedule, residency status change and renewal fees will rise from a uniform ¥6,000 to a tiered structure reaching ¥75,000 for stays of five years or more, while permanent residency fees jump twentyfold from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000. The government's official rationale cites rising screening costs from growing foreign resident numbers, framing the fees as appropriate cost-sharing by beneficiaries of administrative services, with revenue also funding broader foreign resident policy. Kimura argues this reasoning overlooks the reality that many caregiving and healthcare workers supporting Japan's aging population are themselves foreign nationals, meaning the ultimate cost may fall on Japanese patients and care recipients rather than only on foreign residents.

10/09/2026

Aichi governor, nais kumuha ng maraming Filipino workers to help their manpower shortage problem
Ang Aichi Prefecture, sa pamumuno ni Governor Hideaki Omura, ay nagsisimulang mag-support ng pag-recruit ng mga Filipino workers and engineering talent para matulungan ang mga companies na makahanap ng skilled workers prefecture nila.
Bilang bahagi ng programang ito, magho-host ang Aichi ng “Aichi Manufacturing Discovery Tour” sa November. Dito, pupunta sa Aichi ang mga engineering students mula sa Mapúa University at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Bibisita sila sa Japanese companies at makikipag-usap sa company owners at HR staff.
May 15 Filipino engineering students at kanilang mga teachers ay inaasahang sasali. Kabilang sa kanilang fields ang mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, at electronics engineering.
Sa November 25, magkakaroon din ng exchange meeting kung saan ipapakita ng companies kung paano nagiging successful employees ang isang Filipino graduates. Magkakaroon din ng company-visit reports at open discussion sa pagitan ng students, teachers, at Japanese companies.
Layunin ng programang ito na makatulong sa mga Japanese companies particularly sa Aichi prefecture na kulang sa manpower at magkaroon ng mas maraming opportunities para sa Filipino professionals sa Japan.

CTTO: Malago Forum

Aichi governor, nais kumuha ng maraming Filipino workers to help their manpower shortage problem

Ang Aichi Prefecture, sa pamumuno ni Governor Hideaki Omura, ay nagsisimulang mag-support ng pag-recruit ng mga Filipino workers and engineering talent para matulungan ang mga companies na makahanap ng skilled workers prefecture nila.

Bilang bahagi ng programang ito, magho-host ang Aichi ng “Aichi Manufacturing Discovery Tour” sa November. Dito, pupunta sa Aichi ang mga engineering students mula sa Mapúa University at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Bibisita sila sa Japanese companies at makikipag-usap sa company owners at HR staff.

May 15 Filipino engineering students at kanilang mga teachers ay inaasahang sasali. Kabilang sa kanilang fields ang mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, at electronics engineering.

Sa November 25, magkakaroon din ng exchange meeting kung saan ipapakita ng companies kung paano nagiging successful employees ang isang Filipino graduates. Magkakaroon din ng company-visit reports at open discussion sa pagitan ng students, teachers, at Japanese companies.

Layunin ng programang ito na makatulong sa mga Japanese companies particularly sa Aichi prefecture na kulang sa manpower at magkaroon ng mas maraming opportunities para sa Filipino professionals sa Japan.

NOTE: We offer document translation (Tagalog, English, Nihongo), document creation (SPA, Affidavit, etc.), and application form printing. Send us a private message here if you need it.

10/09/2026

Ground handling works sa mga airport, isasama na sa Ikusei Shuro na papalit sa Trainee Program
Ayon sa news na ito, simula April 2027, magkakaroon ng bagong residence status sa Japan na tinatawag na “Ikusei Shuro” (育成就労), na papalit sa kasalukuyang Technical Intern Training Program o Trainee Visa.
Nagpasya kahapon ang Japanese government na idagdag ang aviation sector sa bagong program na ito. Sakop nito ang ground handling jobs sa airports, tulad ng pagtulong sa pag-load at pag-unload ng mga cargo at iba pang airport support work.
May total limit na 4,900 foreign workers para sa aviation sector. Sa bilang na ito, 4,600 workers ang maaaring tanggapin sa Specified Skilled Worker No. 1, habang 300 workers naman ang para sa bagong Ikusei Shuro program.
Hindi tataas ang overall acceptance limit dahil lamang sa pagbabago ito. Dahil sa pagdagdag ng Aviation Sector, magiging 18 fields na ang sakop ng Ikusei Shuro. May mga bagong trabaho o job categories din na idadagdag sa manufacturing, construction, food and beverage manufacturing, at fisheries sectors.

ctto: Malago Forum

Ground handling works sa mga airport, isasama na sa Ikusei Shuro na papalit sa Trainee Program

Ayon sa news na ito, simula April 2027, magkakaroon ng bagong residence status sa Japan na tinatawag na “Ikusei Shuro” (育成就労), na papalit sa kasalukuyang Technical Intern Training Program o Trainee Visa.

Nagpasya kahapon ang Japanese government na idagdag ang aviation sector sa bagong program na ito. Sakop nito ang ground handling jobs sa airports, tulad ng pagtulong sa pag-load at pag-unload ng mga cargo at iba pang airport support work.

May total limit na 4,900 foreign workers para sa aviation sector. Sa bilang na ito, 4,600 workers ang maaaring tanggapin sa Specified Skilled Worker No. 1, habang 300 workers naman ang para sa bagong Ikusei Shuro program.

Hindi tataas ang overall acceptance limit dahil lamang sa pagbabago ito. Dahil sa pagdagdag ng Aviation Sector, magiging 18 fields na ang sakop ng Ikusei Shuro. May mga bagong trabaho o job categories din na idadagdag sa manufacturing, construction, food and beverage manufacturing, at fisheries sectors.

NOTE: We offer document translation (Tagalog, English, Nihongo), document creation (SPA, Affidavit, etc.), and application form printing. Send us a private message here if you need it.

04/09/2026

Japan, wala pang planong mag-hire ng mga foreigner resident to join their military service
Ayon sa news na ito, nagsagawa ng presscon ang head ng Japan Ministry of Defense today September 4, at sinabi nyang nanatiling wala silang planong isagawa ang military service recruitment para sa mga foreigner resident dito sa Japan.
Ilan sa mga OB ng Japan Defense ay nagbigay ng pahayag na dapat daw i-open nila sa mga gaikokujin resident ang recruitment para sa mga simpleng gawain lamang sa military service dahil nga sa kakulangan ng manpower nila. Malaki ang maitutulong ng mga foreigner resident dito sa Japan dito, kung kayat nais nilang pag-aralan ng present administration ang idea nilang ito.
Ayon naman kay Mr. Koizumi, talagang malaking problema ang kakulangan nila sa ngayon ng personnel dahil nga sa bumababang population ng Japan. Subalit maaaring mapunan din nila ito sa pamamagitan ng pagtayo ng mga bagong facility, pag-improve ng pasweldo at career development ng mga present military personnel at ang bagong AI application sa military.

ctto : Malago Forum

Japan, wala pang planong mag-hire ng mga foreigner resident to join their military service

Ayon sa news na ito, nagsagawa ng presscon ang head ng Japan Ministry of Defense today September 4, at sinabi nyang nanatiling wala silang planong isagawa ang military service recruitment para sa mga foreigner resident dito sa Japan.

Ilan sa mga OB ng Japan Defense ay nagbigay ng pahayag na dapat daw i-open nila sa mga gaikokujin resident ang recruitment para sa mga simpleng gawain lamang sa military service dahil nga sa kakulangan ng manpower nila. Malaki ang maitutulong ng mga foreigner resident dito sa Japan dito, kung kayat nais nilang pag-aralan ng present administration ang idea nilang ito.

Ayon naman kay Mr. Koizumi, talagang malaking problema ang kakulangan nila sa ngayon ng personnel dahil nga sa bumababang population ng Japan. Subalit maaaring mapunan din nila ito sa pamamagitan ng pagtayo ng mga bagong facility, pag-improve ng pasweldo at career development ng mga present military personnel at ang bagong AI application sa military.

NOTE: We offer document translation (Tagalog, English, Nihongo), document creation (SPA, Affidavit, etc.), and application form printing. Send us a private message here if you need it.

04/09/2026

What is your Point of View regarding this?

Japan's banks won't let some legal foreign residents touch their own money.
Not because their right to live in Japan ran out.
Because the plastic card in their wallet did.
When the expiry date on a registered residence card passes, banks can freeze the account — ATM withdrawals, transfers, automatic bill payments, all of it.
That can happen to someone who filed months early and is legally in the country under the two-month grace period written into the Immigration Control Act.
The National Police Agency asked banks to verify the status of foreign account holders after fraud rings started buying up accounts left behind by people who had gone home.
The Financial Services Agency confirmed the freezes in 2025.
Some banks accept the "application pending" stamp on the back of the residence card and leave the account alone.
Others refuse it.
One resident described being locked out over a weekend with 2,000 yen in his pocket.
Another said his renewal ran from March to July while his card expired in May.
One student wrote that classmates whose cards expired in June are losing their jobs while they wait.

ctto : Japan Inside

Japan's banks won't let some legal foreign residents touch their own money.

Not because their right to live in Japan ran out.

Because the plastic card in their wallet did.

When the expiry date on a registered residence card passes, banks can freeze the account — ATM withdrawals, transfers, automatic bill payments, all of it.

That can happen to someone who filed months early and is legally in the country under the two-month grace period written into the Immigration Control Act.

The National Police Agency asked banks to verify the status of foreign account holders after fraud rings started buying up accounts left behind by people who had gone home.

The Financial Services Agency confirmed the freezes in 2025.

Some banks accept the "application pending" stamp on the back of the residence card and leave the account alone.

Others refuse it.

One resident described being locked out over a weekend with 2,000 yen in his pocket.

Another said his renewal ran from March to July while his card expired in May.

One student wrote that classmates whose cards expired in June are losing their jobs while they wait.

31/08/2026

Human rights advocacy groups, including the non-profit organization Solidary with Migrants Japan (Migiren), held a press conference inside the National Diet building on August 28 to call for the immediate withdrawal of a draft proposal that tightens permanent residency requirements. Proposed by the Immigration Services Agency, the new draft guidelines introduce stricter income criteria—requiring applicants' household earnings to exceed the national average for Japanese households—alongside mandatory Japanese language proficiency standards and updated pension projection benchmarks.
Long-term foreign residents gathered at a concurrent parliamentary rally to express deep anxieties over their futures, warning that elevated barriers strip foreign nationals of stability and safety. Human rights advocates argued that the policies undermine multicultural living and threaten societal vitality, while supporters of the reform argue it ensures financial self-sufficiency among long-term immigrants. Following a public comment period, the revised guidelines are scheduled to take effect in April 2027.

ctto: Japan Daily

Human rights advocacy groups, including the non-profit organization Solidary with Migrants Japan (Migiren), held a press conference inside the National Diet building on August 28 to call for the immediate withdrawal of a draft proposal that tightens permanent residency requirements. Proposed by the Immigration Services Agency, the new draft guidelines introduce stricter income criteria—requiring applicants' household earnings to exceed the national average for Japanese households—alongside mandatory Japanese language proficiency standards and updated pension projection benchmarks.

Long-term foreign residents gathered at a concurrent parliamentary rally to express deep anxieties over their futures, warning that elevated barriers strip foreign nationals of stability and safety. Human rights advocates argued that the policies undermine multicultural living and threaten societal vitality, while supporters of the reform argue it ensures financial self-sufficiency among long-term immigrants. Following a public comment period, the revised guidelines are scheduled to take effect in April 2027.