I got a lot of bills unpaid. I’ve been severely depressed for the past years that I couldn’t even keep a job for a very long time. I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck so I decided to just leave the country. However, as I’ve said, I got a lot of bills unpaid. Such as my taxes, health insurance and a loan I got from welfare. I’m leaving next week and afraid I might get asked on how I’m going to pay the rest of it cos I’m hella broke. I’m not even sure if I’m gonna be able to get a job back home right away, or if I’m gonna earn enough to pay if I’d get asked. Got a family(mum’s here, she’s my guarantor) here but we’re not in good terms I honestly don’t wanna burden them but yep… my fault. Help.
Edit: I have a long-term resident at the moment(, got married here but don’t have enough time to process.my divorce. I plan to come back for a tourist visa to when I get enough money which is prolly not anytime soon.
14 comments
I got a job position opened up for me and I heard the reason was that the guy who was originally hired got stopped from entering the country due to leaving on bad financial terms with Japan. I don’t know the details or how severe it has to be for this to happen, but it would be good to find out if you ever plan to come back.
Also if you have ever had a guarantor for anything make sure to square that away otherwise they are gonna be the ones getting screwed over.
If you plan on coming back you’re screwed.
To avoid being denied leaving from Japan, make sure you get re-enter.
I know people that had unpaid taxes and they couldn’t leave Japan.
Oh no, you can leave I don’t think somebody in the Airport will stop you from leaving unless it’s a warrant of arrest, but IF EVER in the future, you change your mind and you’ll plan to come to Japan again and get a Visa, you left a not-so-good records, I think that’s the time they will stop you from coming.
I think this also depends on how you’re planning on leaving.
Before you leave you’re supposed to visit city hall and give up your MyNumber card. When you do that they’ll automatically tell you that you need to pay however much. If you decline to pay it there, you could be preventing from leaving. It really depends on a lot of things.
If you don’t visit city hall before you leave and don’t give up your MyNumber card then you should be able to leave. Just keep in mind that coming back in will be a real bitch and you’ll need to pay back however much you owe them in the future. It could also really impact your ability to even live in Japan again if they reject your visa application because of this.
You could also apply for excemptions if you could show proof that you aren’t making that much.
Depending on the amount, they could potentially go after your guarantor if you have fled the country. Or issue an arrest warrant for you, and you won’t even make it out of the country.
Talk to city hall or tax office about not being able to pay taxes and loan. they might work something for you.
Divorce now at city hall. Don’t screw your spouse by just leaving it for later.
Notify your guarantor even if you’re not on good terms, don’t screw them after they helped you. They’ll be on the hook anyway . Give them chance to work a solution.
Deal with your obligations before leaving.and tell everyone that needs to know. So they have chance to protect themselves.
Honestly- You’re going down the path of a deadbeat.
Plain and simple.
You aren’t there yet, but you’re at a crossroads, a proverbial “fork in the road”.
You are the reason why people don’t want to sign emergency contacts, or deal with foreigners here.
Sure, there are Japanese deadbeats too… but they don’t have the the privilege of “oh I’ll just fly back to my home country and that’s all”.
You show absolutely no apparent remorse, you haven’t asked for any solutions or if you can apply for a payment plan for financial hardship etc.
It seems you only care about what will happen if “they come knocking”… and they will eventually.
We all got issues in our lives.
You need to front up, be responsible, and go and request a payment plan or a financial hardship request from everyone you owe money to.
If you put your head in the sand and ignore – it will get worse, added fees, people trying to track you down, potentially more serious consequences like future garnishment of your bank accounts etc.
You need to do what is right, and sort this shit out.
You know what is right. Do not ignore this.
A lot of people are mentioning that you won’t be able to enter Japan again, but that’s not all. If you skip out on Japan like that, it will make it harder for you to go to other countries as well. There is a reason why most countries have a question on the immigration form that asks, “Have you ever been denied entry to any country?”
Your mental health and wellbeing come first, but there has to be a way to make this work out with the money so that you can leave on good terms.
If you go to city hall you can explain this to them. They wont arrest you lol. Tell them you want to pay but also want to leave, ask if there are any payment plans you can set up and pay from overseas etc.
You can mention depression etc.
Worst case, they will tell you how much you owe.
You then have a figure to work towards. Maybe it will be good motivation to work for the last 3-6 months to pay it off, while living in a cheap place etc. if you make a large dent i think and then fill city hall in you may be in better footing to leave and pay the rest from overseas without trouble. Just communicate.
You can get a loan from welfare?
Talk to your ward office and set up a long-term repayment plan. Even if you don’t, they won’t stop you from leaving the country ( as some people are saying) but it will be difficult for you to ever get another visa here.
They won’t bother going after you for the money if you’re not in Japan but they will almost certainly go after your mom since she’s your guarantor
Since you plan to come back you should pay your bills. It will bit you in the arse down the road. Also, they’d go after your mum , totally not cool on your part!
You know when you see threads here about people complaining how hard it is as a foreigner to get lease contracts or other financially-binding agreements.
You’re the reason.
If you think you’re safe back home, just be sure Japan doesn’t have an extradition treaty with your country. If your debts are high enough, they’ll find it worth it to charge you with tax evasion and theft. Someone will be knocking at your door. Man up and do what’s right. Don’t blame depression. We are all depressed, but we keep fighting.
You say you don’t want to burden your mom, but your actions say otherwise. If you run away abroad like this without notice, she’d be the one to get into trouble. I don’t know why you are not in good terms, but she is willing to be your guarantor so I think you owe it to her not to cause her trouble by leaving the country with unpaid bills. Also, your spouse will get into trouble too if you don’t properly divorce them. I sympathize with your depression, I know how hard it can be, but it’s not an excuse to be an irresponsible asshole. Admit your financial condition to the people and institutions you owe money to, sort things out with your partner and mother.