RetireJapan

Sorry for the side-track, but did you re-apply for PR from scratch, or were you fast-tracked, or did they give you special consideration due to the travel restrictions? Just curious what the procedure was. You certainly didn't fulfil the 10 consecutive years requirement!

They were allowed to go through a faster procedure with much less paperwork than was required for their original PR. Took just under 2 months and I was impressed with how the bureaucracy was willing to work with us.

Tkydon wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:07 am Currently, anyone who had their Permanent Resident Immigration Status lapse whilst abroad due to COVID and not being able to return to Japan before termination of Re-Entry Permit or Special Re-Entry Permit will, when General Immigration opens up, be able to apply for a Long-Term Visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate overseas, and on presentation of an Apology Letter will be converted back to Permanent Resident Immigration Status at the border.

There's a bit of humor on this "Apology Letter". Apologize for not being able to illegally re-enter the country in a lockdown that was imposed by that country to permanent residents? I think Japan was one of the few countries that has voting rights for its permanent resident. Vote the idiots out of office.

emikami wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:55 pm I think Japan was one of the few countries that has voting rights for its permanent resident. Vote the idiots out of office.

Sadly, no.
It is being discussed in some places for local elections, but in general, non-Japanese do not have voting rights.

I found

https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/ ... html#rp-q3

Q: I have “Permanent Resident” status and am now staying in the UK with a re-entry permit. I cannot re-enter Japan by the expiry date of the re-entry permit due to illness and I am currently in hospital. What should I do?
A: You can extend the period of validity of your re-entry permit for a maximum of 1 year, and not exceeding 6 years from the issue date of your re-entry permit (7 years in the case of “Special Permanent Resident”), as long as you are judged to have a genuine reason why you are unable to re-enter Japan within the validity period of your re-entry permit. However, we cannot give you an extension beyond your original period of stay. Please note that if you wish to extend your re-entry permit, you should ensure that you apply within the period of validity of your original re-entry permit.

However, those persons leaving Japan on a "Special Re-entry Permit" cannot extend the period of validity outside Japan.