Welcome to the April newsletter! Here are the topics for this month: -- Security Incident at the U.S. Embassy -- Security Situation -- Absentee Voting -- The Basic Absentee Voting Process -- Republicans And Democrats Abroad -- Unsubscribing ----------------------------------------------------------- Security Incident at U.S. Embassy ----------------------------------------------------------- Earlier this week Japanese newspapers reported that there had recently been an incident in which bottles containing a flammable liquid were thrown over the fence onto Embassy property. So that all American citizens can be accurately informed on just what happened, the following is a report from the Embassy decribing the incident. During the pre-dawn hours of last Saturday an unknown person or persons gained entry to the upper area of a building across the street from our Embassy and threw sealed metal bottles containing an apparently flammable liquid over our fence onto the driveway that runs from the front gate to the rear gate. It is not known who threw the bottles. Press reports on this incident in some cases referred to the bottles as Molotov cocktails or fire bombs. In fact, the bottles did not catch fire, and there was no damage. Police have supplemented their considerable security in the Embassy area to prevent a repetition of this kind of incident. ----------------------------------------------------------- Security Situation ----------------------------------------------------------- The security situation in Japan remains the same with no new threat information since the March 24, 2004 Worldwide Caution Public Announcement we distributed via this channel (you can always read the most current information at http://travel.state.gov). ----------------------------------------------------------- Absentee Voting ----------------------------------------------------------- We'd like to remind all adult U.S. citizens in Japan to submit their Federal Post Card Applications (FPCAs) to their local election offices in the United States early. Citizens voting under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) are eligible to participate in all elections for Federal offices. Many are also eligible to vote in state and local elections. The 2004-2005 Voting Assistance Guide is available on-line at http://www.fvap.gov. The Guide contains state-by-state procedures for UOCAVA citizens to register and/or request an absentee ballot using the Federal Post Card Application. FPCAs are also available at the American Citizens Services Section of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates. ----------------------------------------------------------- The Basic Absentee Voting Process ----------------------------------------------------------- So how do you vote from abroad? While the process can vary because each state sets its own rules on residency and registration, the basic steps are: -- You complete and mail a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Get the form at http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7124c.html#fpca and mail it to your state (addresses on our web site); -- A Local Election Official in your state of residence approves your request to register/vote, or asks you for more information; -- Once approved, a Local Election Official in your state of residence mails you an absentee ballot; -- You complete the ballot, notarize it free at the Embassy if needed, and mail it back to your state of residence. Complete information on absentee voting is on line at http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7124c.html. That page also will help you determine your state of residence for voting purposes (you have one, even if you have lived abroad for many years!) ----------------------------------------------------------- Republicans And Democrats Abroad ----------------------------------------------------------- The following are contact e-mails for Republicans Abroad/Japan and Democrats Abroad/Japan if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about their activities: Republicans Abroad/Japan: Sally Reed Impastato, sallyimp@gol.com Democrats Abroad/Japan: Terri MacMillan, terri_macmillan@newcore.jp or Brent O'Leary BOLEARY1@bloomberg.net Democrats Abroad Japan - Kansai chapter Linda Crawford 075-463-5636 090-1245-2943 crawford@kta.att.ne.jp Democrats Abroad Japan - Kyushu Jonathon Britten 092-841-2716 jbritten@cc.nakamura-u.ac.jp ----------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribing ----------------------------------------------------------- We make every attempt to include in our newsletter information of real value. We know that should world events dictate, we can use this email channel to get important information to you, as we did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. That said, if you are leaving Japan or otherwise wish to unsubscribe from this list, click on this link, or type it into your browser's address window: http://mh.databack.com/c.php?L=tokyoacs&E=vanburenpm@state.gov You can also unsubscribe by writing from the same email address you used to subscribe, and send a blank email to: leave-tokyoacs@mh.databack.com ------------------------------------------------------ Contact us: ------------------------------------------------------ The 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://www.tokyoacs.com Visit us online in Japanese at http://j.tokyoacs.com Aim your cell phone browser at http://imode.tokyoacs.com The Embassy helps Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima,Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata, 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 http://sapporo.usconsulate.gov The Consulate in Sapporo helps Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi. American Consulate Nagoya American Citizen Services Nishiki SIS Bldg. 6F 10-33, Nishiki 3-chome Naka-ku, Nagoya 460-0003 Tel: 052-203-4011 Fax: 052-201-4612 http://nagoya.usconsulate.gov Nagoya area residents, please contact the Consulate in Osaka-Kobe for extra passport pages and other passport services. 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 http://www.senri-i.or.jp/amcon 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 http://fukuoka.usconsulate.gov The Consulate in Fukuoka helps Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi. American Consulate General Naha American Citizen Services No. 2564 Nishihara Urasoe-shi, Okinawa 901-2101 Tel: 098-876-4211 Fax: 098-876-4243 http://naha.usconsulate.gov The Consulate in Naha helps Americans in Okinawa, the Amami Oshima Island group, parts of Kagoshima Prefecture. Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the Department of State at http://travel.state.gov