April 26, 2002 We use this service to provide you the most up-to-date safety and security related information we have available. Starting with the May 3, 2002 edition, we will be moving to a monthly version appearing on the first Friday of every month. Should we receive any time-sensitive information of a security-related nature, we will use this channel to keep you informed immediately, as necessary. In addition to sharing security-related information, we will continue to include in the monthly version news and information about our American Citizens Services of a more general nature. This edition features information about the Virginia State primaries and a primer on driving on Japan, which is drawn from our website at http://www.tokyoacs.com. ------------------ Security Situation ------------------ The security situation in Japan remains the same with no new threat information reported from either the American or the Japanese side other than the March 17 worldwide caution we already distributed via this channel. ------------------------- Virginia Primary Election ------------------------- There will not be a primary election for Federal, state or local offices in Virginia on June 11, 2002. Voting Assistance Officers (VAOs) should, to the greatest extent possible, inform Virginia absentee voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of this change and that they can continue to send in Federal Post Card Applications for the upcoming General Election on November 5, 2002. VAOs should mark through the Virginia primary date on Election Calendar posters, flyers, etc. The FVAP can be contacted through the DoD Voting Information Center (VIC). Citizens may reach the VIC toll-free from 59 countries using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, www.fvap.ncr.gov or www.fvap.gov. The VIC provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day. Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. Additionally, the FVAP can be reached via e-mail at vote@fvap.ncr.gov. ---------------- Driving in Japan ---------------- Americans cannot drive in Japan with only a U.S. drivers license. Persons found driving in Japan without a legal license are subject to fines, arrest and possible deportation. Getting a Japanese License: For Americans resident in Japan, it is possible to convert a valid U.S. drivers license to a Japanese license. However, this cannot be done at the Embassy. Note that "residents" are expected to convert or obtain a Japanese drivers license. Persons using an international drivers license who are resident in Japan can be subject to fines or arrest. The exact boundary between "resident" and "not resident" is unclear; contact local police for additional information. International Driving Permits (IDP): An international driving permit issued in the United States by the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) is required of short-term visitors who drive in Japan. International driving permits (IDP) are not issued by the U.S. Embassy or by its consulates. IDP's must be obtained prior to arriving in Japan. They cannot be obtained in Japan. Note that IDP's are not intended to replace valid U.S. state licenses and should only be used as a supplement to a valid license. In other words, you must also have a valid U.S. state license in addition to an IDP to drive in Japan. You can obtain a valid IDP only from an automobile association authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue IDPs. Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic (1949) authorizes the U.S. Department of State to empower certain organizations to issue IDPs to those who hold valid U.S. driver's licenses. The Department has designated the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance as the only authorized distributors of IDPs. There are, however, many scams on the Internet charging significant fees for licenses and/or making false statements. International Driving Permits should cost only US$10-20, though they are sold online for as much as US$300. Driving in Japan: Driving in Japan is quite complicated and expensive. Those who cannot read the language will have trouble understanding road signs. Highway tolls are assessed at about US $1 per mile. City traffic is often very congested. A 20-mile trip in the Tokyo area may take two hours. There is virtually no roadside parking. In mountainous areas, roads are often closed during the winter, and cars should be equipped with tire chains. Foreigners should be alert to traffic on secondary roads, which does not come to a full stop at traffic lights or stop signs. Roads in Japan are much narrower than those in the United States. Vehicular traffic moves on the left. Turns at red lights are forbidden unless specifically authorized. Japanese compulsory insurance is mandatory for all automobile owners and drivers in Japan. Your U.S. auto insurance likely does not provide coverage in Japan; check with your insurer. For travelers coming to Japan for the World Cup in June 2002, note that no parking is available at any of the stadiums. Please plan on using public transportation. Accidents and Liability: Japanese law provides that all persons who drive in Japan are held liable in the event of an accident, and assesses fault in an accident on all parties. Drivers stopped for driving under the influence will have their licenses confiscated. Laws passed in late 2001 make persons found guilty of "drunken, speeding or blatantly careless driving that results in death" subject to up to 15 years in prison, tripling the previous maximum sentence. Japanese police, under these new laws, will also be permitted to contact financial institutions directly to determine an offender's financial status to combat evasion of payment for traffic violations. The National Police Agency (NPA) oversees the administration and enforcement of traffic laws. Further information in English is available on the NPA's web site. Emergency Assistance: Within Japan, please dial 110 for police, and 119 for ambulance. For roadside assistance, please contact the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) at 03-5395-0111 in Tokyo, 06-577-0111 in Osaka, 011-857-8139 in Sapporo, 092-841-5000 in Fukuoka, or 098-877-9163 in Okinawa. Service is usually only available in Japanese. ------------------------------------------------------ Contact us: ------------------------------------------------------ The American Embassy in Tokyo 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 Tel: 03-3224-5174 Fax: 03-3224-5856 http://www.tokyoacs.com American Consulate General Sapporo Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821 Tel: 011-641-1115 Fax: 011-643-1283 http://usembassy.state.gov/sapporo American Consulate Nagoya Nishiki SIS Bldg. 6F 10-33, Nishiki 3-chome Naka-ku, Nagoya 460-0003 Tel: 052-203-4011 Fax: 052-201-4612 http://www.japan-net.ne.jp/~amconngo American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe 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 American Consulate Fukuoka 5-26, Ohori 2-chome Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0052 Tel: 092-751-9331 Fax: 092-713-9222 http://usembassy.state.gov/fukuoka American Consulate General Naha No. 2564 Nishihara Urasoe-shi, Okinawa 901-2101 Tel: 098-876-4211 Fax: 098-876-4243 http://usembassy.state.gov/naha Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the Department of State at http://travel.state.gov