"FREE" 12000 YEN to ALL Registered Foreigners in Japan

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UPDATE (March 5, 2009)
How to Claim your 12,000 yen and Highway Holiday Discount
http://katz515.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-claim-your-12000-yen-and-highway.html
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From today's Mainichi Daily News and NHK 7pm News

ALL Registered Foreigners in Japan WILL be eligible to receive Teigaku-Kyufu-Kin（定額給付金） based on their status on Feb 1, 2009.

This is Japanese version of Economic Stimulus Rebate (in the US).

It sounds good to be true, but yes, the following people will receive 12,000 yen with no question as the part of Japanese government's economic stimulus plans.


The people who are eligible of receiving 12,000 yen are

1. All Japanese citizen who have registered address in Japan
2. All Permanent Residents who live in Japan
3. All Foreigners who hold valid Alien Registeration Card (外国人登録証)

So the people who are staying illegally or short-term are NOT eligible.

Also the following eligible people will receive additional 8,000 yen

1. The people who are 65 years old and older
   
2. The people who are 18 years and younger
   

The government is still debating how to distribute money. So they haven't made the decision how and when to distribute money yet. So I'll try to post the latest update once I find out. It's a usual slow Japanese government, but they are trying to move fast.

But this is what they decide.

----------
They will decide the eligibility
on Feb, 1, 2009
----------

1. The money will be sent to the address on the record on Feb 1, 2009
2. The person's age will be determined on Feb 1, 2009

For exmaple,

• If you are 64 years old on Feb, 1, 2009, you won't receive additional 8,000 yen
• If your birthday is Feb 1, 1990, you WILL NOT receive additional 8,000 yen
  
• The babies who will be born on Feb 1, 2009 WILL BE eligible for 20,000 yen
• The babies who will be born AFTER Feb 1, 2009 receive NO MONEY AT ALL.
  

So my understanding...

In order for the foreign aliens in Japan to receive 12,000 yen (or 20,000 yen)

1. You must have valid Alien Registration Card on Feb 1, 2009
2. The money will be sent to the address on the record on Feb 1, 2009
   

So if you don't really care about 12,000 yen, and then you don't really care..



Mainichi Daily News (Japanese)
http://mainichi.jp/select/seiji/news/20081221k0000m010020000c.html



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-----------------------------
UPDATE (March 5, 2009)
How to Claim your 12,000 yen and Highway Holiday Discount
http://katz515.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-claim-your-12000-yen-and-highway.html
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