After half a day of struggling with the online visa renewal system before finally getting it to work, I’d like to share some advice and things I’ve learned. Generally I recommend following the guide found [here.](https://tokyocheapo.com/living/renew-visa-online-japan/) I hope this saves someone else some time down the line.
First, make sure you have **all** the components you need in advance. If any one of these pieces are missing, the system will not work.You need:
1. An Individual Number Card (My Number Card) with an IC chip.
2. A compatible IC card reader from [this list.](https://www.jpki.go.jp/prepare/pdf/num_rwlist11.pdf) I used the IO-DATA USB-ICCRW2.
3. The JPKI利用者 software found [here](https://www.jpki.go.jp/download/win.html). This is needed to verify your MyNumber Card.
4. If you have a non-Japanese Windows PC, you will need [Locale Emulator](https://xupefei.github.io/Locale-Emulator/) to display the text correctly.
5. The Chrome/Edge extension found [here.](https://www.jpki.go.jp/download/win.html) Without this, the website will not recognise your card.
6. Java Runtime Environment 8.0, found [here](https://www.java.com/). Make sure Java appears in the Control Panel.
7. A .jp email address (I recommend a free [yahoo.co.jp](https://yahoo.co.jp) address). This can be set to forward to another provider.
8. 在留カード and passport
9. A filled application form and supporting documents, all merged into one PDF under 10MB
10. A 4cm x 3cm face photo under 50KB
Item 1. can apparently be replaced with an NFC-capable Android phone and the JPKI app, but I couldn’t get this method to work, so I recommend just getting a card reader.
Once you have everything, first put your MyNumber card in the IC card reader, then connect it to your PC, then open [this page](https://www.ras-immi.moj.go.jp/WC01/WCAAS010/ras?dispOutputEvent=) in Chrome/Edge (whichever browser you installed the extension in 5) and click on the bottom orange button to “register a new user” as “Foreign National (applicant)/Other”. A drop-shadow with white text should display.
**With the above screen open**, right click the JPKI利用者 software and run it as admin via the Locale Emulator set to Japanese. It should open and display everything correctly. Follow the instructions to verify your MyNumber card. When the card is verified, go back to the browser and you should get a pop-up that allows you to enter your MyNumber PIN and create an account. If it doesn’t appear despite your card being verified successfully, then either your browser extension or Java is not installed correctly or something else is getting in the way. Try disabling your VPN and ad-block, closing other browsers or rebooting.
If successful, after you sign up they send you an email right away. You should get it within a few minutes. Many people have said that they never got an email if they used a non .jp email address like gmail.
Once you’ve made your account, you can sign in and make an application. You sign in from [the same page as before](https://www.ras-immi.moj.go.jp/WC01/WCAAS010/ras?dispOutputEvent=), the one with the drop shadow, but this time from the top blue button. Again, you have to open the page click on the login button, then verify your card, then a popup should appear in the browser where you can enter your PIN.
The application itself mostly consists of selecting things from drop-down menus. Take care to use 半角 and 全角 where necessary. Your name must be in the same order as on your 在留カード with no spaces and comma-delimited. If your address contains roman numerals, you must use the letter equivalent (VI instead of Ⅵ, not the number 6). The address box accepts spaces and hyphens, but not other special characters. You must make sure that your name, nationality, address and 在留カード number match the details on your card, EXCEPT:
If your address has changed due to an administrative reorganisation, then you must put your NEW address instead of the one on your card. For example in Hamamatsu, addresses in 中区、東区、西区、南区 were recently reallocated to 中央区 – the visa application system still lists the old wards and insists your address be identical to that on your card, but will throw errors when you try to submit the form with any of those wards selected. You must select the new ward.
You attach your documents right at the end of the application, just before submitting it. You may only upload 1 pdf and 1 photo and these uploads cannot be undone or redone. Once you’ve made the application, you should get a temporary confirmation email right away (within a few minutes), followed by an official confirmation email the next day.
Good luck to anyone going through this process. I would rate the system a solid 3/10, but would recommend giving it a go anyway to anyone needing to renew their visa – but only because struggling for a few hours at home on a weekend still beats having to make the trip to the immigration bureau on a weekday.