Returning to Japan after pension refund

Alright, I have two related questions, actually, both regarding returning to Japan after leaving.

I was in Japan as an English language teacher (in the JET programme, but I don't think that matters) from 2006-2010. I returned to America at the end of my contract in July, expecting to find work and stay here.

Thing is, the "finding work" part has gone very, very badly on this side of the ocean. I am seriously thinking about returning to Japan to get work with a private eikaiwa company. This presents two problems, however.

The biggest one being my pension. Since I was not expecting to return to Japan, I filed for my lump-sum withdrawal at the beginning of September. Would I need to cancel that somehow if I were to return and/or what happens if I go back to Japan AFTER I get the payment?


Second involves my work visa, which is an instructor visa that expires in 2012. However, upon leaving Japan for the US I surrendered my alien registration card and informed them that I would not be returning to Japan as was required. Would I need to apply for a new visa or would the old one still somehow be usable despite my "permanent" departure from Japan?

I've searched the internet for these answers and come up with nothing. Hoping someone here can help or point me in a potential direction to find answers.

The biggest one being my pension. Since I was not expecting to return to Japan, I filed for my lump-sum withdrawal at the beginning of September. Would I need to cancel that somehow if I were to return and/or what happens if I go back to Japan AFTER I get the payment?

You don't need to cancel it. You can still get the refund and then start a new pension book when you return to Japan. You will get a new pension book when you get a job. Basically the clock starts over and you are a new person in the eyes of the pension system.

Second involves my work visa, which is an instructor visa that expires in 2012. However, upon leaving Japan for the US I surrendered my alien registration card and informed them that I would not be returning to Japan as was required. Would I need to apply for a new visa or would the old one still somehow be usable despite my "permanent" departure from Japan?

Was your visa itself cancelled? If not then I think you can still enter on it and just apply for a new ARC. The visa will also be a big advantage when searching for work. Then once you get a new job you will have to update your visa and your ARC to reflect your new employer.

Do you have a multiple re-entry stamp in your passport? If you don't, I think your visa will be cancelled if you attempt to enter Japan again. It happened to a friend of mine who forgot to get the (single) re-entry permit, he had to file for a new visa (he ended up entering on a tourist visa). He was a student though.

I don't think those are the bigger issues - the current economy in Japan is not that great, people are spending less money on learning English, there is distrust in those school chains in general, etc., so the "eikaiwa" schools/companies are not hiring a lot.

And yes, please check if you have re-entry permit on your passport. If the potential employer can go without the bit of "extra" paperwork of sponsoring you for a visa, your chance might be a bit better, but this does not guarantee anything.

I'd receive the lump-sum pension payment and just jump onto the JPN soc.sec. system as a new face.

If your visa is still good until 2012, I don't see why you'd have to re apply for a new visa, and the private eikaiwa shcool you plan to work at should honor it. But like above, you might have issues with Immigration and re-entering JPN. See what can be done at your local JPN embassy/consulate general about the steps you need to take.

I wouldn't say the economy nowadays is making it too hard for Eng teachers to find work. Just the other day, my J friend was saying how they're hiring like mad in the Hyogo-ken area. I guess there's that kind of demand in those less-metropolitan regions. For Tokyo, there seems to be an oversupply and not enough demand, so I'd have to agree with AK, that people are less liberal with �� than before.

Thanks for all the answers (not that I won't take others!)

I know the Japanese economy is in hard times, but I think at this point I'm actually more qualified to search out a job there than in the United States, where everything is coming up dry. Not hugely qualified, but definitely in a better position for teaching English. With two of the Big Four out of the picture I'm hoping that means that AEON can stay afloat.

What about returning to Japan before my pension refund resolves? Since you can only withdraw three years I feel as though they might raise their eyebrows, and maybe their Fists of Law, if I were to get my refund and then go back to Japan again resetting the system. I mean, if I do go back I have no problems giving them back the refund money if I have to. I'd just hate to end up in jail/arrested for fraud.

although somebody said this already, i'm saying it again because some people here have given misleading information:
if you didnt get a re-entry permit before leaving japan, your visa will be void when you go back. you probably didnt apply for a single permit, so unless you had a multiple re-entry permit from earlier travels, you have to get a new visa.
i know what i'm talking about.. unfortunately. i had to get a "emergency re-entry permit" at the airport because i hadn't applied for it on time. it was quite a lecture i got from the staff.. but they gave it to me anyway since i had a very good reason why i hadnt applied for it earlier. without it i couldnt have returned.

I have a multiple re-entry permit good for the duration of my visa. But I did tell them I wasn't coming back and I feel like that meant I wasn't going to be allowed back in the country. I could be wrong, though.

...I suppose I could always contact the consulate once my plans are completely solidified.

What about returning to Japan before my pension refund resolves? Since you can only withdraw three years I feel as though they might raise their eyebrows, and maybe their Fists of Law, if I were to get my refund and then go back to Japan again resetting the system. I mean, if I do go back I have no problems giving them back the refund money if I have to. I'd just hate to end up in jail/arrested for fraud.

You can even come back before it resolves (which usually takes around 6 months or more). You just need someone at your US address who can send in the necessary paperwork once your refund is posted to your account so that you can get the tax refund as well. There is no fraud if you come back. You are cashing out your existing Japanese pension, effectively resetting yourself to zero. You can no longer build on that pension, and will have to start a new pension book. Its not double dipping.

I have a multiple re-entry permit good for the duration of my visa. But I did tell them I wasn't coming back and I feel like that meant I wasn't going to be allowed back in the country.

Unless there is a stamp across your visa and/or reentry permit that says "cancelled" or "used" then it is still valid and you could enter tomorrow on it.

You are in a gray area. If you have a work visa and you do not have an employer, you are technically required to leave Japan. If you come back, you may not be let in at immigration with that visa. But then again you might. If you ask questions they will give you the official version. Its a crap shoot.

Thanks, JP. I was planning on being hired before leaving for Japan, so while I not be employed by the SAME people, I would still be employed. People do that all the time, as far as I know. They just generally don't leave the country/surrender their original entry card/AR Card before they do.

I'm going to disagree with many of the above people and say that re-entry permit or no, if you surrendered your card and told Immigration you weren't coming back, there is a very strong chance that your visa has been cancelled, as that is the usual process for cancelling a visa on departure- is there no stamp of any kind indicating what happened to your visa on that passport page at all?

In any case, if I were you I would operate on the assumption that you will need to start the visa process from scratch.

my intention is to go back to my county and get the pension refund after 3 years of working and come back again to work. I renewed my long term resident visa and i got a fresh 3 years now. my question is do i have to surrender my alien card? can i get a refund without surrendering my alien card. If i still got my alien card with me, it means that i am still residing here in japan even I am in my own country.

my question is do i have to surrender my alien card? can i get a refund without surrendering my alien card.

Another issue is that one of the requirements to apply for the withdrawal is to submit a photocopy of your passport showing your departure date. This presumably will includes an image of your still valid visa, which may pose a problem with your application.