Open bank account - US taxpayer number?

I've been working in Japan for 5 years on contracts, first 3 as an ALT and last 2 at a private Eikaiwa. These were my first jobs out of college and thus I never held a job in the US or paid any US taxes.

However now that I try to open a bank account with MUFG, switching from JP Post Bank, they asked and demanding to know my taxpayer number due tp FATCA. I have never paid taxes in the US or had a taxpayer number.

I have been told, and it seems sensible, that if I live in Japan, work in Japan, earn Japanese yen in Japan, and pay Japanese taxes with my Japanese yen earned from a Japanese company I would not need to pay US income tax.

Upon a quick googe search I learned of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), which further corroborates that I shouldn't pay US income taxes. And of course when I signed up for JP Post Bank 5 years ago they didn't ask me for this and never have.


So what is going on? What am I missing?

It is almost certainly true that you won't have to pay US tax, but you must still report your Japanese income to the US tax authorities (after which they will determine that you don't owe them anything). JP Bank is not operating in the US (I believe), so they don't care much about offending the US tax authorities. MUFG does, however.

Thank you for the response. Is there an easy way to report my income and get a taxpayer number?

Your taxpayer number is your SS number. If you have a US passport you would have been asked for your SS number when you applied for it, but if you wrote 'applied for' in that space, you will still have obtained the passport without a SS number. But at your presumed age, I find it hard to believe that you wouldn`t have a SS number since they have been issued at birth for many years now (or so I believe to be the case.)

Of course for MUFG - you could just make up a number. :)

I do have a social security number. When I was confused at the desk about a nozeishabangou "taxpayer number" the staff asked me for any other proof of American citizenry and I showed my social security number. Whatever she looked up and checked with that did not satisfy her apparently.

https://www.bk.mufg.jp/ippan/law/fatca.html
I think that all banks are doing now.
if you have bank accounts already, you can use them. but you can't open a new one at any banks without showing the number, if you are an US citizen or a green card holder

You are probably too young to be thinking about retirement, but some day you will. Will you retire and live in Japan, or will you eventually come back to the US? That may make a difference on whether to pay for social security “tax”, assuming that social security system in the US is not bankrupt by then. Something to think about.

Just to clarify... a SS number is NOT proof of citizenship, but it is a tax identification number. If they want proof of citizenship, show your passport, and if they want your tax id, just write it down for them. Most Americans do not carry a SS card, and it isn't a valid ID anyway. It is just to keep people from forgetting it.

And… SS taxes are not assessed on overseas income.

Went back today. This time they turned me away for not being in Japan for more than 6 months.

Except I've been here more than 5 years. But because the immigration office only gives me 1 year visas every year while newbies with no Japanese ability and no intention to stay longer than 3-6 months are given 5 year visas, so naturally the bank dismissed all other evidence (health insurance card, my number card, previous bank card and passbook transaction for 5 years, passport for stamps for arrival/exit multiple times over the years). Nope, I got a new visa 5 months ago so that means I came to Japan 5 months ago. Everything else I did overseas or through some secret technique to deceive them.

I'm really at the breaking point with this country.