In its form as a legal formality, a marriage in Japan is handled through marriage registration (\u5a5a\u59fb\u5c4a kon\u2019in todoke) at the local city office.<\/p>\n
Because there are no costs attached to marriage registration, some couples go through this procedure months ahead of the wedding ceremony. Out of all married couples, around 20%<\/a> only take care of the legal proceedings and skip the ceremony altogether.<\/p>\n The registration procedure is not associated with any type of ceremony. Requirements vary depending on location, but typically :<\/p>\n A filled-out marriage registration form *Non-Japanese nationals are often allowed to simply sign documents<\/p>\n You can get more information about Marriage, Childbirth and Childcare from this site: In international marriages between a Japanese national and a non-Japanese national, only the Japanese national has to bring their family register. Non-Japanese nationals don\u2019t have Japanese family registers, nor do they receive one through marriage. They are simply added to their spouse\u2019s family register.<\/p>\n As long as no additional proceedings are completed, international couples keep their respective nationalities and last names.<\/p>\n Because non-Japanese nationals don\u2019t have family registers, they\u2019re not able to legally acquire a Japanese surname through marriage alone<\/a>. In cases where the non-Japanese spouse still wants to use a Japanese surname, they can:<\/p>\n In modern Japan, the majority of couples marry for non-material reasons<\/a>: To have a family or a child, to live with a loved person, or to create an environment where they can be at peace.<\/p>\n However, Japanese society does provide some benefits that are not available to single people or non-married couples. The most important ones are the spousal tax deduction (\u914d\u5076\u8005\u63a7\u9664 haig\u016bsha k\u014djo) and the special spousal tax deduction (\u914d\u5076\u8005\u7279\u5225\u63a7\u9664 haig\u016bsha tokubetsu k\u014djo).<\/p>\n Through spousal tax deduction, married couples are able to receive a deduction of up to 380,000 JPY on the \u201cfamily breadwinner\u2019s\u201d income tax. Once the non-breadwinner\u2019s income exceeds a certain level, the amount of money deducted decreases. The tax deduction amount reaches zero once the non-breadwinner makes more than 2.01 million JPY per year.<\/p>\n In addition to tax deduction, married couples can also receive some health insurance benefits.<\/p>\n Same-sex marriage has not yet been legalized in Japan. In recent years, there has been a constant increase in municipalities that officially recognize same-sex partnerships. The first two to do so were Tokyo\u2019s Shibuya and Setagaya wards in 2015.<\/p>\n These partnership systems (\u30d1\u30fc\u30c8\u30ca\u30fc\u30b7\u30c3\u30d7\u5236\u5ea6 p\u0101ton\u0101shippu seid\u014d) are equal to traditional marriage inside of the municipalities they were issued in. However, they don\u2019t allow same-sex spouses access to legal benefits on the national level, such as the above-mentioned spousal tax deduction. Because of this, activists are still demanding full legal equality.<\/p>\n Below, you can find the three most popular wedding ceremony styles in Japan.<\/p>\n
\nPersonal ID (Residence card, driver\u2019s license, passport, etc.)
\nOfficial copy of the family register (\u6238\u7c4d\u8b04\u672c koseki t\u014dhon, see below for details)
\nCertificated signature stamp (\u5370\u9451 inkan)*<\/p>\n
\nGuidebook on Living and Working ~For foreign nationals who start living in Japan~<\/a><\/p>\nInternational Marriages<\/h3>\n
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Benefits of Marriage<\/h3>\n
Same-Sex Marriage<\/h3>\n
Wedding Ceremony Styles<\/h3>\n
Secular Wedding<\/h4>\n