Most of our English-language clients are not in the same country as us, and often not in the same country as their spouse. This page sets out how that actually works — what can be done by email, what cannot, and where the time goes.
We put this in writing because the one step that takes weeks is not obvious, and people plan around it too late.
The short version
| Step | How | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Video call | 30 minutes, no charge |
| Identity verification | Documents by email, checked on a video call | Same call |
| Engagement letter | PDF signature or electronic signature | 1–2 days |
| Payment of the retainer | International transfer | Depends on your bank |
| 🔴 Power of attorney for court proceedings | 🔴 Original document, by post, both ways | 🔴 Two to three weeks |
Everything above the red line can be done from anywhere with an internet connection. The last row cannot.
Identity verification
Before we can act for you, Japanese bar rules require us to verify your name, address and date of birth, and to record the purpose of your instructions and your occupation.
What we ask for:
- The photograph page of your passport. We ask for a passport rather than a national ID card or driving licence because passports follow an international standard and we can assess them. We often cannot assess an unfamiliar domestic document.
- Proof of your address, issued within the last three months. A utility bill, a bank or credit card statement, or a residence certificate issued in your country.
A passport does not usually show a current address, which is why the second item is needed separately.
And one thing on the call. At the start of the first meeting we will ask you to hold the original documents up to the camera so we can see them alongside you. This takes under a minute. We do it because copies sent by email, on their own, do not establish that the person we are talking to is the person named on them.
The engagement letter
Our engagement letter is in English and Japanese, in parallel columns. You can sign it as a PDF or by electronic signature — there is no need to post it.
It sets out the fees, when each amount falls due, how the engagement can end, and which law governs it. Read Article 6 in particular: the retainer pays for the work, not for a particular outcome, and it does not become repayable because a matter ends in a way you had hoped it would not. We would rather you knew that before signing than discovered it afterwards.
The one thing that must travel by post
If your matter goes to the family court — mediation, adjudication or litigation — the court requires the original power of attorney when the case is filed. Not a scan, not a PDF.
That means:
- We prepare it and post it to you
- You sign it and post it back
- Only then can the case be filed
International post in both directions is realistically two to three weeks, and longer to some countries. If there is a deadline in your matter, this is usually what determines whether it can be met.
So if court proceedings look likely, we start the power of attorney early — often before the strategy is finally settled — precisely so that this is not the thing that holds everything up.
Nothing else in the process requires originals. Divorce by agreement, negotiation and drafting can all be done without a single piece of paper crossing a border.
Consultation times
We hold two slots each week specifically for clients outside Japan:
| Slot | Japan time | Where it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 9:00–11:00 | JST | US West Coast Wed 17:00–19:00 · US East Coast Wed 20:00–22:00 |
| Tuesday 17:00–19:00 | JST | UK Tue 9:00–11:00 · Central Europe Tue 10:00–12:00 |
Weekday appointments during Japanese office hours (9:00–17:00 JST) are also available, which suits clients in Okinawa and elsewhere in Asia.
Consultations are by video call.
Paying from abroad
- The initial 30 minutes are free, so there is nothing to pay to get started.
- Consultations beyond that can be paid by credit card (Visa or Mastercard).
- The retainer and later fees are paid by bank transfer. We hold receiving accounts in US dollars, Japanese yen, pounds sterling and euro, so for most clients this is a domestic payment rather than an international wire:
| Paying from | What you send | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|
| United States | A domestic ACH transfer | Nothing |
| United Kingdom | A domestic transfer (account number and sort code) | Your bank’s normal UK charge |
| Eurozone | A SEPA transfer | Your bank’s normal SEPA charge |
A conventional wire to a Japanese bank is typically charged twice — by your own bank, and again by the correspondent banks in between — and the second charge is not visible to you until the money arrives short. This route avoids that.
Transfer details are given on the invoice. We never send bank details by unprompted email, and we will never ask you to redirect a payment to a different account — if you receive a message that appears to do either, please telephone us before acting on it.
Documents in two languages
Anything filed with a Japanese court is in Japanese. We prepare English versions of the documents that matter to you — the agreement, the settlement terms, anything you are being asked to sign — so that you are not signing a document you cannot read.
Where a document from your country needs to be used in Japan, it will usually need a translation, and sometimes an apostille or consular authentication. We will tell you which, and in what order, before you start collecting anything.
What we would rather you asked early
- Whether anything has already been started in your country. This changes the order of everything.
- When your current status of residence expires, if you are in Japan.
- Whether your spouse has income or assets in Japan.
None of these is comfortable to raise late.
Yusuke Sasaki conducts these matters in English himself. The first 30 minutes are at no charge.
This page describes how we work and is not advice on your situation. Requirements can differ depending on the court and the country involved.