embassy seal
U.S. Dept. of State
flag graphic
 
Welcome to the August newsletter!


Here are the topics for this month

Services



Upcoming Holidays and ACS Office Closures


The Embassy and Consulates will be closed for the following days:

Labor Day Sept. 1 (Monday)
Respect for the Aged Day Sept. 15 (Monday)
Columbus Day Oct. 13 (Monday)


Please remember that the days just before and just after a holiday are often extremely busy and you can expect significantly longer waiting times. If you visit us outside of these times, you should have a shorter wait.

A full list of all of our holiday closings is online here. American citizens who require emergency assistance during holidays should contact the office serving their part of Japan.

If you do come to see us at the Embassy in Tokyo, note that we have two lines to enter the building; a (usually) longer line for visa applicants and a much shorter line for customers coming for American Citizen Services help. Check the signs by the Embassy entrance, which will direct you to the appropriate line. We use a computerized customer ticketing system; upon entering the Consular section, you can select the type of service you require (e.g. Passport, Notary, etc.) and wait in the ACS Waiting Room for your number to be called.


Security Situation – New Worldwide Caution issued July 16, 2008

On July 16, 2008, the U.S. Department of State issued an updated Worldwide Caution Public Announcement. It supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated January 17, 2008. Please view the full text online here.

Since our previous ACS Newsletter for July 2008, the U.S. Department of State has issued four new Travel Warnings for the following countries:

The U.S. Department of State also has issued one new Travel Alert for the following country:

You can always read the most current information online here.

The most up-to-date information regarding permitted and prohibited items on flights can be viewed online here.

For additional information, please visit "Americans Traveling Abroad" on the U.S. Department of State website. To obtain up-to-date information on security conditions, call 1-888-407-4747 (toll free in the United States), or 1-202-501-4444 if you are in Canada or outside the United States.


Country Specific Information - Japan

On July 18, 2008, the U.S. Department of State’s Country Specific Information webpage for Japan was updated. It is available at this website.


U.S. Embassy Tokyo’s Friendship Day Celebration on Saturday, August 30, 2008

Join in the fun! U.S. Embassy Tokyo is pleased to announce that we will host a Community Friendship Day Celebration on Saturday, August 30, 2008 from 11 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. with musical performances by the U.S. Army Band and other rock bands as well. The event will be held at our housing compound (location information on ticket; no parking available). There will also be numerous performances (Taiko, Magicians, a Parade) and activities including a children’s games corner, dunk tank, buncy castle, and more!

Call our Public Ticket and Event Information Hotline at 03-3224-5501 for information about how to purchase tickets (¥1,000 each, and children under 5 are free). Ticket price includes entrance and free beverages (water, soda, and beer) throughout the afternoon. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be sold during the event.

Please note that photo identification will be required for anyone over 15 to enter the compound; also, pets are not allowed on the compound. Strollers and bags will be searched. If it appears that a typhoon may hit Tokyo on August 30, 2008, the event will be rescheduled for September 6, 2008.


Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Disaster Management Drill on Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducts a disaster management drill every year. This year’s drill will be conducted jointly with the municipal governments of Chuo and Koto Wards the morning of Sunday, August 31, 2008.

According to a Japanese language press release, the TMG expects that tourists and visitors will observe the drills, which will take place at the following locations: Harumi, Ginza, Kiba Park, Kameido train station, Haneda Airport, and the Tokyo Port Rinkai area.

For more information, contact Mr. Wataname or Mr. Yonekawa at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Disaster Management Division at 03-5388-2455.

http://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.jp/japanese/news/200731bousaikunren.pdf
Information for Americans Attending The XXIXth Olympic Summer Games in China

The XXIXth Olympic Summer Games and the Beijing Paralympic Summer Games will take place from August 8-24, 2008, and September 6-17, 2008, respectively. There are seven major venue sites, six outside of Beijing, including Hong Kong, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Tianjin. Equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Tianjin will host the soccer preliminaries.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 29th Olympiad Games (BOCOG) provides additional information on the XXIXth Olympic Summer Games, including information on hotel accommodations, tickets, transportation, and advice for spectators. Please see the Beijing Paralympic Summer Games website for information regarding those games.

The U.S. Embassy’s Beijing Olympics website and the CDC travelers’ health website provide additional information to American citizens planning to travel to China or Hong Kong SAR to see or participate in the Games.

Many U.S. citizens will be traveling to the Olympics this summer. If you plan on being in China for events in August or September, early preparation is the key. Please review carefully the information presented on this site.

Please visit U.S. Embassy Beijing’s ACS site for complete information about expanded hours, services and other important information to assist visitors and residents alike during the Olympic Games in China.


Scam Alert - Faxes claiming to be from the IRS are not legitimate

The Internal Revenue Service cautions taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new wave of scams using the IRS name in identity theft faxes and emails that have circulated during recent months.

A bogus IRS letter and Form W-8BEN (Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding) asks non-residents to provide personal information such as account numbers, PINs, mother’s maiden name and passport number. The legitimate IRS Form W-8BEN, which is used by financial institutions to establish appropriate tax withholding for foreign individuals, does not ask for any of this information.

During May and June 2008, taxpayers reported almost 700 "phishing" incidents to the IRS. "Taxpayers should take steps to keep their personal information out of the hands of identity thieves," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, "That includes not falling for any of the phony emails or faxes now in circulation pretending to come from the IRS."

The most common scams involve tax refunds and economic stimulus payments. Although most of these scams consist of emails requesting detailed personal information, the IRS generally does not send email to taxpayers, nor does the IRS discuss tax account matters with taxpayers via email. Moreover, the IRS never requests security-related personal information, such as PIN numbers from taxpayers. Please review this IRS website for more information.

Those who have received a questionable fax or email claiming to come from the IRS may forward it to the following address: phishing@irs.gov. You may also forward suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov or call 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).

For information about other scams and what you can do to protect yourself (or what to do if you are the victim of a scam), visit the U.S. Department of State website.


Computer Virus Alert – UPS Virus Verified

UPS has become aware there is a fraudulent e-mail being sent that says it has been sent by UPS and leads the reader to believe that a UPS shipment could not be delivered. The reader is advised to open an attachment reportedly containing a waybill for the shipment to be picked up.

Be aware that this e-mail attachment contains a virus. UPS recommends that you do not open the attachment; rather, delete the e-mail immediately.

UPS may send official notification messages occasionally, but such messages rarely include attachments. If you receive a notification message that includes an attachment and are in doubt about its authenticity, please contact customerservice@ups.com.

Please note that UPS takes its customer relationships very seriously, but cannot take responsibility for the unauthorized actions of third parties.

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/news/service_updates/virus_us.html


Important Information for Voters

We encourage you to visit the newly redesigned Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov, the official U.S. government website for overseas voters. The updated website features an automated Voter Registration and Ballot Delivery tool that will greatly improve the vote-by-mail process.

There are two options for overseas voters using the FVAP website:

Voter Registration & Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Voters who have not yet registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot should do so now using the FVAP website. You may also pick up a hard copy of the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

You should also complete a new Federal Postcard Application if you have moved or changed your name since the last time you voted.

Voting

Your local voting officials should mail your absentee ballot 30 to 45 days before the November 4 general election. Return your voted ballot as early as possible. Be aware of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, as well as any postmarking requirements.

Emergency Ballots

The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) serves as an emergency ballot for voters who registered in time but fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials. You can access the FWAB using www.fvap.gov as well.

Questions

The Voting Assistance Officers at U.S. Embassy Tokyo are also always available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call 03-3224-5000 or send an e-mail to VOTETOKYO@state.gov


Information for Missouri Voters

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has declared that voters in Federal service who are eligible to receive hostile fire or imminent danger pay, or who are located in a combat zone as designated by the IRS may return their voted ballots by fax or email. This declaration applies to both the August 5, 2008 state primary election and the November 4, 2008 general election.

Under Missouri election law, a person in Federal service includes:

  1. Members of the armed forces of the United States, while in active service, and their spouses and dependents;
  2. Active members of the merchant marine of the United States and their spouses and dependents;
  3. Civilian employees of the United States government working outside the boundaries of the United States, and their spouses and dependents;
  4. Active members of religious or welfare organizations assisting servicemen, and their spouses and dependents;
  5. Persons who have been honorably discharged from the armed forces or who have terminated their service or employment in any group mentioned in this section within 60 days of an election, and their spouses and dependents.

Missouri does not allow citizens to receive their blank absentee ballots by fax or email. Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters.

For information on your precinct, candidates, and elections, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact the FVAP at 1-800-438-8683 or vote@fvap.ncr.gov.


Ask the Consul: How and why should I register with the Embassy when I live or travel outside the United States?

An American citizen residing in Tokyo with his family recently inquired about registering his residence and travel outside the United States. Millions of Americans live/travel abroad every year and encounter no major difficulties. However, U.S. embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency. When an emergency happens, or if natural disaster, terrorism, or civil unrest strikes during your foreign travel, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can be your source of assistance and information. By registering your trip, you help the embassy or consulate locate you when you might need their help the most. Registration is voluntary and costs nothing, but it should be a big part of your travel planning.

U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your legal counsel or representative, they can provide the names of local attorneys and doctors, provide loans to destitute Americans, and provide information about dangerous conditions affecting your overseas travel or residence. Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, helping Americans with absentee voting, selective service registration, receiving federal benefits, and filing U.S. tax forms. Consular officers can notarize documents, issue passports, and register American children born abroad. Most embassies and consulates have web sites with more information; please check this complete online list.

Travel registration is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country, and is easily accomplished online here.

In order to officially register your travel outside the United States, first you will create an account by clicking on the "Create an Account" link and following the instructions provided on this website. The account creation allows you to select a username and password so that you can access your travel data at any time. The account will also contain your personal information so that it can be saved and used again whenever you travel abroad. The personal information section will include basic information about yourself, and also for an emergency contact that is not traveling with you.

After you have created an account, you will view your profile and add trips or overseas residences to register with a specific US Embassy or Consulate. Click on the "Add Trip" button or "Add Overseas Residence" buttons to add this information. Follow through the pages, and complete as much information as you have available. There are very few required fields, but thorough information enables the US Embassy to help you more efficiently if needed. You will receive a confirmation email to ensure that you are registered correctly.

Registration through the website is NOT considered proof of U.S. citizenship. If you apply for American Citizen Services from the embassy or consulate while overseas, you will be asked by the consular staff to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. passport or American birth certificate.

Please note that, in accordance with the Privacy Act, the Department of State may not release information about those registered without their express written authorization. The U.S. Department of State is committed to ensuring that any personal information received by our overseas embassies and consulates pursuant to the registration process, whether in person or otherwise, is safeguarded against unauthorized disclosure. The data that you provided the U.S. Department of State is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act (5 USC 552a). This means that the U.S. Department of State will not disclose the information you provide us in your registration application to any third parties unless you have given us written authorization to do so, or unless the disclosure is otherwise permitted by the Privacy Act.

If your family needs to reach you because of an emergency, they can pass a message to you through the Office of Overseas Citizens Services, which can be contacted from within the United States at 1-888-407-4747 (toll free), and from overseas at 202-501-4444. The Office of Overseas Citizens Services will contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country in which you are traveling in order to pass the message to you.

The U.S. State Department also advises leaving a detailed itinerary and copies of your passport biographical-data page with a friend or relative in the United States. For more tips about how to travel safely overseas, please review this website.


Leaving Japan?

If you are departing from Japan after a long stay here, and you formally registered your stay with the Embassy or closest U.S. consulate, please be sure to "cancel" your registration when you leave.

You can deregister yourself by visiting the travelregistration.state.gov site.

You may also want to consider unsubscribing from the newsletter mailing list. Please see the instructions on how to accomplish this below.


Unsubscribing

We make every attempt to include in our newsletter information of real value. We know that should world events dictate, we can use this email channel to get important information to you, as we did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

That said, if you are leaving Japan or otherwise wish to unsubscribe from this list you can unsubscribe by writing from the same email address you used to subscribe, and send a blank email to:

leave-tokyoacs@mh.databack.com

If you need to receive these newsletters at a different email address, unsubscribe first, using the old address, and subscribe again from the new address.


Contact us:

American Embassy in Tokyo
American Citizen Services
1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
Tel: 03-3224-5174
Fax: 03-3224-5856
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/tacs-main.html

The Embassy helps Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.

American Consulate General Sapporo
American Citizen Services
Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome
Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821
Tel: 011-641-1115
Fax: 011-643-1283

The Consulate in Sapporo helps Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi. As there are times when both officers are away from the office, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the Consulate General.

American Consulate Nagoya
Nagoya International Center Bldg. 6th floor
1-47-1 Nagono, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-0001
TEL (052) 581-4501
FAX (052) 581-3190

Consulate Nagoya provides emergency consular services including death and arrest cases for Americans living in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures. Please call Nagoya or Osaka for confirmation before traveling to Nagoya if you believe you have an emergency situation. Routine American Citizen services are provided by appointment only. If an appointment is not available, American residents may also receive service at the Consulate in Osaka.

American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe
American Citizen Services
11-5, Nishitenma 2-chome
Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8543
Tel: 06-6315-5912
Fax: 06-6315-5914

The Consulate in Osaka helps Americans in Osaka, Aichi, Ehime, Fukui, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Okayama, Shimane, Shiga, Tokushima, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama.

American Consulate Fukuoka
American Citizen Services
5-26, Ohori 2-chome
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0052
Tel: 092-751-9331
Fax: 092-713-9222

The Consulate in Fukuoka helps Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi.

American Consulate General Naha
2-1-1 Toyama,
Urasoe City
Okinawa 901-2104
Phone: 098.876.4211
Fax: 098.876.4243
DSN: 645-7323

The Consulate in Naha helps Americans in Okinawa and the Amami Oshima Island group (which is the southern island group of Kagoshima Prefecture).

Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the Department of State.

Inclusion of Non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents. This subscription list is maintained by a private company and the U.S. Government cannot guarantee the privacy of any e-mail address.