Renewing spouse visa without tax declaration

Hello,

I have some questions for which I�fd like to seek some advice. I�fll try to include as much detail as I can.

I�fm married to a Japanese citizen and we have a 9-month old baby, Japanese citizen as well. Currently, I�fm doing my PhD at a university overseas, and am receiving a monthly stipend that is the equivalent of 287000 yen. The PhD candidature doesn�ft require my physical presence in my home country, so I�fve spent 7 months of the year-long spousal visa in Japan (5 months in my home country giving birth and taking care of the newborn). I�fve been granted deferment for nenkin payment because I�fm still a student, and also because my home country requires pension contribution that is 20% of my income. My spousal visa is expiring in two weeks, and I�fve been informed that I�fll need some kind of tax declaration from my husband in order to facilitate the visa renewal. However, I can�ft speak Japanese (and thus have problems asking for this document at the local city hall), and my husband is unable to get leave from his company to make the trip down himself. Can I use evidence of the stipend that I�fm receiving in lieu of my husband�fs tax declaration? I�fve been given to understand that the tax declaration document merely serves to establish whether or not the applicant in question has the means to support him or herself. Are there any problems that I�fm likely to run into?

Thanks in advance! I look forward to your input.