Free Support for Foreign Residents in Tokyo: Meet the Help Desk Solving Your Biggest Headaches

International residents have gotten free, hands-on help with everything from bank accounts to lease negotiations—from a government desk most newcomers have never heard of.

You cannot open a Japanese bank account without a phone number. You cannot get a phone number without a bank account. Your landlord wants a Japanese guarantor you don’t have. Currently, most official paperwork for administrative procedures is available only in Japanese. Auto-translated versions aren’t always accurate, which can create more confusion.

Every international resident in Tokyo hits some version of this wall eventually. But few people know there’s a free, government-run desk built specifically to help you climb over it, and it doesn’t even ask you to fill out a form in Japanese to prove it.

What Foreign Resident Support in Tokyo Actually Looks Like

International Residents Support Center TOKYO (IRSC TOKYO), run under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Invest Tokyo initiative, offers bilingual consultations on the parts of daily life in Japan that trip up newcomers most. Staff can also accompany clients in person to appointments where a Japanese speaker is genuinely needed, from the bank branch to the ward office counter.

Advisors help with:

• Administrative procedures and residence registration
• Housing and apartment hunting
• Opening a bank account
• The pension system and taxes
• Childcare and nursery enrollment
• Hospital visits, when a Japanese speaker is required
• And more

The service is aimed at entrepreneurs, employees, researchers and their families who are already in Tokyo or planning to move here. Students studying purely for academic purposes and technical intern trainees fall outside its scope, though students launching their own businesses are eligible.

As one advisor put it: “We support foreign nationals taking on new challenges in Tokyo, in business, work or research, along with their families, in line with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s goal of becoming a global financial city.” While the business setup itself is handled by the Business Development Center Tokyo, IRSC TOKYO covers everything after that: healthcare, housing, education and the rest of daily life.

How to Reach Tokyo’s Free Support Desk for Foreign Residents

Contact is possible by phone, email, in person or online consultation.

“We usually respond within one business day.” — IRSC TOKYO advisor

The most common requests are the ones that hit hardest right after arrival:

• Administrative registration
• House hunting
• Opening a bank account

But the range runs wider than that. One advisor recalled a resident whose family required daycare enrollment — the advisor accompanied them to city offices and helped them navigate Japan’s complex childcare system. “We helped the resident understand their options and reach a decision they were satisfied with,“ the advisor said.

One case stretched on for three or four months, starting with a pre-entry online consultation before the client had even landed. “We supported them with everything, start to finish,” one advisor said, describing help with registration procedures, housing, a phone contract and a search for Japanese schools.

Need a specialist? IRSC advisors mainly handle general information and hands-on support. For issues requiring specialized expertise, they can help connect you with the right professional. Note that while IRSC TOKYO’s support is free, services provided by external specialists may incur additional fees. For example:

• Medical advice
• Legal advice
• Professional interpretation

Why Foreign Residents Struggle to Get Answers in Tokyo

Ask advisors what causes cases to stall, and language gaps often come up.

“Information needed for daily life in Tokyo isn’t always readily available in English. While auto-translation tools exist, they don’t always convey the full picture clearly.” — IRSC TOKYO advisor

Even Japanese speakers sometimes struggle with the same forms. Client feedback collected after each case points to a few recurring pain points:

• Difficulty reaching English-speaking experts
• Procedures that are hard to parse, even with translation
• Trouble getting approved for a credit or debit card, a particular headache for anyone trying to run a business in Tokyo

Moving to Tokyo? Start Here

Advisors point to one piece of advice above the rest: sort out housing first, ideally before you land. Residents staying more than three months need to register their residence to obtain their My Number (Japan’s social security number), which is required for nearly everything else, from bank accounts to health insurance.

Before you arrive:

• Reach out by email or online consultation
• Share your target neighborhood, budget and any must-haves
• Get a shortlist ready to view in person once you land

“If someone already knows they’re coming to Japan, they can start searching, and we can support them even before they arrive,” one advisor said.

Tokyo offers a wide range of support for residents — you just need to know where to seek it. IRSC TOKYO is there to guide you through that journey, so you can settle into life here with ease.

Long-Term Support for Foreign Residents in Tokyo

Advisors describe the job as covering far more than a single move-in.

“Life is long, and it comes with different stages: getting married, having a child, getting sick. At each stage, people often aren’t sure what to do next, and we’re there to help.” — IRSC TOKYO advisor

And the free consultation is only part of the value, staff say. The accompaniment service, where an advisor physically shows up with you, is what a website or search engine cannot offer.

“We don’t just translate,” an advisor said. “We help the client understand the background, the system, why this happens and what happens next.”

International Residents Support Center TOKYO offers free consultations by phone, email, online and in person to foreign entrepreneurs, employees, researchers and their families living in or moving to Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to provide follow-up support, such as consultations and accompaniment in daily life.

Hours:
In-person services: 9:30am – 5:30pm, Monday to Friday
Other inquiries (phone, email, etc.): 9:30am – 5:30pm , Monday to Saturday
(Except national holidays and New Year’s holidays.)
Email:
info@irsc-tokyo.org
Phone:
81-(0)3-5572-8215
Address:
JETRO headquarters 7F
ARK Mori Building, 12-32 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku
Roppongi-itchome station
N-05 Namboku line: Exit 3, 1 minute walk

Visit the IRSC TOKYO website

Frequently Asked Questions