how to get koseki tohon from abroad

Hi! Is there any way I can obtain my koseki tohon if I'm living abroad? I currently am in the Philippines and I was hoping I could obtain my koseki tohon via online or post because I don't have the budget to go back to Japan and obtain it myself like I did before. Hoping anyone here can help me with this matter. My honseki is Kagawa-ken. Thanks so much in advance!

All the offices have different rules for this. But none have a online option.

Getting a agent like a lawyer or similar to act on your behalf is the way to go.

general rules are like this:
to get your personal information from the officials,
you, your spouse, a relative who is one of direct relatives , or a professional can get it.

1. you show up with your picture ID. (you can prove yourself, only when your ID and your name on koseki are identical. if not, you probably need to show additional documents to prove yourself.)
2. a direct blood relative with that person's ID . (probably because they may need your information for inheritance. indirect blood relatives have no relation in inheritance, in general.)
3. hire a professional with your power of attorney. (they can do that for their business purposes. if they get your koseki tohon by their curiosity, they will be punished. they may lose their licenses.)
random persons, including indirect blood relative, can't get it. (it keeps your personal information in secret.)

mailing it to abroad may not work well, because you can't provide a return postage from Japan to your country and/or you may often fail to show your ID.

the restriction works like that:
I can get my children's koseki, but I can't get the tohon of my children's spouses. I can get my grandchildren's tohon.
I can get my wife's tohon, but I can't get my wife's brothers tohon.

unfortunately, my otousan passed away already way back 2018 so I don't have any relatives there to help me obtain my koseki tohon. my japanese passport expired so i need to have my koseki tohon for renewal..

have you reported your father's death to the office ?

in any way, you should hire a lawyer to know your koseki.
if it is not correct, (for example, if you are married, you have to report it to the office), make your record correctly. and get your koseki-tohon.
it is your responsibility that you keep your record correct.

If you don’t have any relative in Japan to help you, you might have to seek assistance from a professional (either a tax attorney, attorney, or administrative scrivener) to obtain it for you.
Have you tried contacting the Embassy of Japan in your country to see what assistance they can give you?

As the earlier poster mentioned, it can be a bit cumbersome to obtain it from outside Japan. The city hall’s issuance fees need to be paid by a local postal money order or cash, and also the city hall needs a self-addressed envelope (with postage affixed on it) to send it back. There is a form to fill out (for this, you’d need to know the “koseki” (family register) address, the full name of the first registrant in the family register, etc., then there is a power of attorney you need to sign yourself to authorize that someone to obtain it for you and send it to you.

Do you know the city of your "permanent address" in Japan? The city's homepage will have the instructions on how to obtain it by mail. You should be able to pay it with an international money order.

You shouldn't need to hire an attorney for this unless you have plenty of money to throw around.

Yes, my koseki tohon is updated, I've had access for years, just that when my otousan passed away, I didn't have anyone there anymore to help me obtain it. But I also reported my otousan's death in the family register. And yes, I also know where I get my koseki, our family is registered at kagawa-ken.

Unfortunately I can't afford an attorney at the moment so I was hoping for other options but I appreciate everyone's reply thanks so much.

there are many cases about the name.
when Japanese name is Taro Yamada, 山田太郎, a male, his Philippine name could be Ferdinand Marcos, Taro Marcos, Ferdinand Yamada, or Taro Yamada. he only have ID of the Philippine name. he may need an additional document, issued from his government, which clarifies the relation between Japanese name and Philippine name, for example, the marriage certificate (between his parents) and/or his birth certificate.
so it depends on cases. need advises from a professional.

when the father (a Japanese) was alive, he can get OP's koseki-tohon.
if OP wants to maintain the Japanese nationality, OP needs to hire a professional and keep the relation to him for future paperwork.
when OP has no ability to maintain the nationality, this Japanese nationality will fade out.