Charity Contribution - Tax Free?

I make a donation once a year of around 40,000 yen to a registered animal charity in Osaka. I'm not self-employed, but can I still add this to my tax return to receive some allowance on it? I have the official receipt from the charity.

If you are a salaried worker, I believe there is a process called "kanpu shinkoku," meaning you claim back part of the tax which has already been withheld by your employer. 40,000 - 5,000 (minimum) = 35,000 is the portion you can claim as deduction from your income. I don't know how much of a difference it makes on the tax, though.

Another thing to note is that in Japan the charity organizations (even if they are registered) where donations are eligible as deductible is limited. Among those that I donate to, only UNICEF is eligible I think. So you need to check if that particular organization is eligible. It might be stated on the receipt..