Legal Counseling Services for Foreigners - A list by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Legal Counseling for Foreigners Provided at Bar Associations Building
Japan Legal Aid Association. This group offers free consultation in various languages if you meet their income requirements. They Specializes in providing legal assistance to those who cannot afford lawyers' fees or court costs. Here is their brochure. Note that their website, www.jla.or.jp has a lot more information on the Japanese version than on the English version, but the English version is still very useful. They have various locations. TEL: 03-3581-6941.
Local Government Offices. Your local government office, such as the kuyakusho, shiyakusho, etc may have a special advice center for foreigners. (Where ever you go to get your Foreigner's Registration, or Gaikokujin Tourokusyo.) This often includes legal advice. Also, if you speak Japanese, they often have free consultations with a lawyer for local residents. You can usually also go to the government office in the area you work in.
Legal Consultation Center. This is a group offers a low cost initial consultation on a variety of issues. They also offer some free consultation if you cannot afford it. There is consultation for foreigners on Thursday of every week. The pamphlet is in Japanese, but the number they give for taped information for foreigners is (03) 3581-2302. The main number is (03) 3581-1511. They have three locations in Tokyo, Yotsuya (03-5214-5152), Kanda (03-5289-8850) and Shinjuku (03-5381-3681). If you dont meet their criteria for free consultation, they will charge 5000 yen for 30 minutes. Then the lawyer will give you his or her card and offer additional help and consultation for additional fees. Finally, they offer free 5 minute phone consultation. 03-3581-3839. See this scanned in pamphlet for more details.
Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association. This group has offered free legal aid for foreigners in the past, including marriage and divorce. Here is an English/Japanese flyer describing their services. Call to see if they are still offering this.

The information on this website concerns a matter of public interest, and is provided for educational and informational purposes only in order to raise public awareness of issues concerning left-behind parents. Unless otherwise indicated, the writers and translators of this website are not lawyers nor professional translators, so be sure to confirm anything important with your own lawyer.
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