Japanese Passport

1. Regarding the application for Japanese passports of minors, Japan issues passports by having a signature of a custodian as a legal representative to the application form.

However, if the other parent has expressed his/her disagreement (The expressions of disagreement should be made in principle by a signed document attaching a supporting document which demonstrates the possession of parental authority), on the issuance of the child's passport to the Japanese Embassies or Consulates General as well as the prefectural passport offices beforehand, the passport will usually be issued after the verification of the consent of both parents. In this verification process, the Japanese Embassies and Consulates General, as well as the prefectural passport offices, check in principle with the parent who disagreed beforehand on the issuance of child's passport whether he/she is now willing to submit a "Letter of Consent for an Application of Passport", and the passport will be issued after the submission of the Letter.

2. In some countries, taking a child abroad without consent of his/her spouse who has parental authority may be accounted to criminal liability. In fact, there are cases in which parent taking a child was arrested of child abduction when he/she reentered the country, or that parents was placed on the international wanted list of International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO). To prevent Japanese citizens from such disadvantages, the Japanese Embassies and Consulates General, which are located in such countries that stipulate in domestic law the taking of a child as a crime, are checking verbally to confirm the existence of agreement of both parents on the application for a child's passport, even if there is not declaration of disagreement from one parent.