My wife passed away and wanted to leave her half brother some money. He lives in Japan and doesn’t speak English but I am in contact with his daughter (who is probably using google translate) by email.
Whats a good way to verify I have the right person so that I can have him sign some paper work and send him money?
I had a friend with a Japanese wife send mail to the address that I had for him, which is how we got in contact in the first place.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time.
Edit: what type of Japanese attorney would handle this kind of thing?
Edit 2: the daughters reply
unfortunately…
After Naoaki’s mother was unmarried and gave birth to Naoaki, she entrusted Naoaki to relatives in Japan and went to America with an American soldier (Jeanie’s father) who was in Japan. As an abandoned child, I grew up without an American family.
Mieko (Jeanie’s mother) remains unmarried with her father, koseki, so her relationship with Jeanie cannot be proven.
Further edit; I mean they’re spot on with the history. Im thinking ill just check the IDs and verify everything matches the accounts? What else can/should I do?
12 comments
Just here to give my condolences. Sorry for your loss.
lawyer?
Copy of the koseki, depending of how the family is structured.
But guess, you will need someone able to sort it out.
Pictures of joint relative (whichever parent is the same)?
A Koseki is a Japanese Family register. There should be a Koseki that list your wife’s brother, his wife, and her daughter. And then ask for ID of the daughter you are in communication with. All of this is probably in Japanese though, so you will probably need a translator to verify them for you.
The others have provided some good advice so I won’t repeat it. In addition, there are law firms in San Francisco, LA, and New York (that come to my mind offhand) with connections and/or Japanese nationals on staff. They can help make sure everything is done properly and that the right people are contacted. So depending on where you live, there might even be local people—and yes, it will cost some money but it might be worth it in the long run. Just a thought (and how I would do it if it were me).
I assume the mother is the common parent for the half siblings.
The half brother should have a Koseki Touhon (family registry) and it should list the mother’s name and birthday. Hopefully that should match the mother’s info in the US.
They should provide you a Koseki Touhon with half brother and half brother’s daughter’s and the half brothers mother’s information. That’s kind of like the master identity for JP nationals and the info on there can be used to verify other things.
Depending on the amount of money involved, you may be able to ask them to provide a DNA test, which would corroborate the familial connection to your mother. But you’d want to have a Japanese lawyer help you with that as it would be a sensitive ask.
What I’m assuming the Google translate reply means :
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Original
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unfortunately… After Naoaki’s mother was unmarried and gave birth to Naoaki, she entrusted Naoaki to relatives in Japan and went to America with an American soldier (Jeanie’s father) who was in Japan. As an abandoned child, I grew up without an American family. Mieko (Jeanie’s mother) remains unmarried with her father, koseki, so her relationship with Jeanie cannot be proven.
—-
Assumed meaning
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Naoaki was Mieko’s first child, born out of wedlock. He was sent to be raised by relatives. Mieko then went to the US, with a US soldier, and later had Jeanie. The US soldier father is not registered via Mieko’s Koseki, and neither is Jeanie.
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So, the koseki is a family registry – which you already know. It includes two generational units at a time (parents and unmarried children). It’s used to prove legal relationships.
We seem to have two koseki at play.
Koseki #1 – Mieko (your MIL)
–Her son in JP (moved to his own koseki upon marriage)
Koseki #2 – Her son (Your BIL), created upon marriage
–Son’s daughter
——
The issue here is that your wife, Jeanie, and your FIL are not on Mieko’s Koseki. This can be worked around. Is Mieko still alive?
In any case – you’ll just get a copy of Mieko’s Koseki, and one for her son. They’ll have a note establishing that connection.
My condolences. I wish you the best.
Contact the American Embassy in Japan
I know scriveners that do this work. One of them asks me the opposite – usually needing to track down a person in the US for an inheritance or real estate issue.