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See the August newsletter here.

Welcome to the July 2009 newsletter!

To subscribe to the ACS Newsletter (it's free), just go to our website and enter your email address.

Here are the topics for this month

NOTICE:

Fukuoka ACS will be closed July 1 - Aug. 14, except for the following dates: July 16, 17, 30 and 31.

Services

Influenza A (H1N1) Information

For information about Influenza A (H1N1), please consult our website; the Department of State website; the Pandemic Flu website sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services; the United States Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization website.


Security Situation

Security reminder: While there is no specific threat information aimed at Americans at this time, it is prudent for you and your family to review your personal security profile and to be aware of your surroundings at all times.

On May 18, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo issued a Warden Message – H1N1 Flu in Japan. Please view the full text online here.

Since our previous ACS Newsletter, the U.S. Department of State has issued Travel Warnings for the following countries:

Chad6/2/2009
Iraq6/15/2009
Mali6/2/2009
Pakistan6/12/2009
Sri Lanka6/26/2009
Uzbekistan6/16/2009
Yemen6/26/2009

Travel Warnings are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.

The U.S. Department of State also has issued the following new Travel Alerts:

China6/19/2009 H1N1 Influenza Quarantine Measures
Gabon6/15/2009
Guinea-Bissau6/10/2009
Lebanon6/2/2009

Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country or region, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert. This and other information regarding travel abroad is available at http://travel.state.gov.

The most up-to-date information regarding permitted and prohibited items on flights can be viewed online here.

For additional information, please visit "Americans Traveling Abroad" on the U.S. Department of State website. Students traveling abroad may wish to visit the State Department site designed for them: http://studentsabroad .state.gov/.

To obtain up-to-date information on security conditions, please call 1-888-407-4747 (toll free in the United States), or +1-202-501-4444 if you are outside the United States.


Upcoming Holidays and ACS Office Closures

The U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulates in Japan will be closed for the following holidays in July:

Independence Day July 3 (Friday)
Marine Day July 20 (Monday)

A full list of all of our holiday closings is available online here.

Please remember that the days just before and just after a holiday are often extremely busy and you can expect significantly longer waiting times. If you visit us outside of these times, you should have a shorter wait.

American citizens who require emergency assistance during holidays should contact the office serving their part of Japan, a list of which is available online here.

To view the business hours for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and all of the U.S. Consulates in Japan, please check here.


U.S. State Department Online Travel Registration

The U.S. State Department launched a secure online travel registration website which will allow you, as an American citizen, to record foreign trip and residence information that the U.S. Department of State can use to communicate with you and assist you in case of an emergency. U.S. citizens around the world who travel or reside abroad can register at travelregistration.state.gov. If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions about our travel registration website, please send an e-mail to CAIbrs@state.gov.


Notice: Fukuoka ACS will be closed from July 1 - Aug. 14, except for the following dates: July 16, 17, 30 and 31

The American Consulate in Fukuoka will be offering only limited consular services to American Citizens living in Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefectures in the months of July and August, due to a staffing shortage. Appointments will be accepted on July 16-17 and July 30-31 for all routine services, including passport applications and notarization of documents.

American citizens may use the American Consulate-General in Osaka, which provides daily consular services, if time sensitive processing of passports or notarized documents is required. Consulate Fukuoka expects to resume full consular services as of August 17th. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.


Complete your U.S. Passport Application Online Prior to Coming to the Embassy

Effective immediately, when applying for a passport at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit asks that all applicants utilize the online Passport Application Wizard and print the completed passport application prior to coming to the Embassy.


Earthquake Preparedness

A major earthquake can hit the Tokyo Metropolitan area at any time. With this in mind, we would like to remind everyone that emergency supplies should be readily available, frequently checked and maintained in good working condition. We recommend that a three-day supply of food and water be stored in an area easily accessible within your residence. Please check flashlights and other items that require batteries to ensure they are in working order. Review your residential furnishings to lower the risk of injuries. Heavy items stored at heights can cause safety issues during a quake.

Resources for earthquake preparedness, how to react and recover, can be found at the following sites:

For immediate information in the aftermath of a quake, it will be best to tune in to Japanese language radio stations. Television stations may also be broadcasting depending upon the severity of the earthquake. There will likely be some limited English information on major radio stations. You may also try tuning in to the English language news broadcasts, but remember that the information will probably not be as current as the Japanese language information sources.

Click here for more information about:


Federal Voting Assistance Program Newsletter and Helpful Hints for Voters

The Federal Voting Assistance Program publishes the Voting Information News, which is a roundup of voting news from the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). FVAP’s July 2009 issue can now be viewed on their website here.

Attention all U.S. Citizens Residing Overseas and Members of the Uniformed Services on Active Duty!

Unregistered absentee voters should request their ballots at least 60 days before the election and registered voters at least 45 days before the election. Remember, voter registration can be affected or cancelled for several reasons: not voting for a period of time, changed residence since the last registration or election, or changed name since the last registration or election.

Please review these helpful hints regarding:

These suggestions will help simplify the absentee voting process and eliminate many possible reasons for disenfranchisement.


Agricultural Trade Offices, Japan to hold an American Food Promotion during the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port of Yokohama July 13-19

The U.S. Agricultural Trade Offices (ATO) at the Embassy and Osaka Consulate work directly with U.S. companies to help them gain the knowledge and contacts needed to begin exporting to Japan. ATO also sponsors activities to introduce companies handling U.S. products to key Japanese retailers, food service and food processing companies, to coordinate U.S. participation in trade shows and to otherwise serves as a window to the Japanese market for U.S. companies. For more information, please see this online page.

ATO Japan will hold an American food promotion event from July 13-19, during the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama. The event will take place next to Akarenga Soko (The Red-Brick Warehouse), a famous tourist site in downtown Yokohama located at Minato-Mirai 21, Yokohama Bay Area. Around 20 U.S. exhibitors will be selling a wide assortment of U.S. food products along with crafts, beer and wine.

Leaving Japan?

If you are departing from Japan after a long stay here, and you formally registered your stay with the Embassy or closest U.S. consulate, please be sure to "cancel" your registration when you leave.

You can deregister yourself by visiting the travelregistration.state.gov site.

You may also want to consider unsubscribing from the newsletter mailing list. Please see the instructions on how to accomplish this below.

How to Unsubscribe

If you are leaving Japan or otherwise wish to unsubscribe from this list you can unsubscribe by writing from the same email address you used to subscribe, and send a blank e-mail to:

leave-tokyoacs@mh.databack.com

If you need to receive these newsletters at a different email address, unsubscribe first, using the old address, and subscribe again from the new address.

Contact us:

American Embassy in Tokyo
American Citizen Services
1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
Tel: 03-3224-5174
Fax: 03-3224-5856
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/tacs-main.html

The Embassy helps Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.

American Consulate General Sapporo
American Citizen Services
Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome
Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821
Tel: 011-641-1115
Fax: 011-643-1283

The Consulate in Sapporo helps Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi. As there are times when both officers are away from the office, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the Consulate General.

American Consulate Nagoya
Nagoya International Center Bldg. 6th floor
1-47-1 Nagono, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-0001
TEL (052) 581-4501
FAX (052) 581-3190

Consulate Nagoya provides emergency consular services including death and arrest cases for Americans living in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures. Please call Nagoya or Osaka for confirmation before traveling to Nagoya if you believe you have an emergency situation. Routine American Citizen services are provided by appointment only. If an appointment is not available, American residents may also receive service at the Consulate in Osaka.

American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe
American Citizen Services
11-5, Nishitenma 2-chome
Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8543
Tel: 06-6315-5912
Fax: 06-6315-5914

The Consulate in Osaka helps Americans in Osaka, Aichi, Ehime, Fukui, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Okayama, Shimane, Shiga, Tokushima, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama.

American Consulate Fukuoka
American Citizen Services
5-26, Ohori 2-chome
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0052
Tel: 092-751-9331
Fax: 092-713-9222

The Consulate in Fukuoka helps Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi.

American Consulate General Naha
2-1-1 Toyama,
Urasoe City
Okinawa 901-2104
Phone: 098.876.4211
Fax: 098.876.4243
DSN: 645-7323

The Consulate in Naha helps Americans in Okinawa and the Amami Oshima Island group (which is the southern island group of Kagoshima Prefecture).

Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the Department of State.

Inclusion of Non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents. This subscription list is maintained by a private company and the U.S. Government cannot guarantee the privacy of any e-mail address.