My wife (Japanese from Toyama) and I (just an average American Midwest white guy of German heritage) will be fully retired in a couple years. We've been married for 25 years having met in NYC and been living in California for past 20 years. It is our hope to relocate to Japan from the US upon retirement. Looking at the visa application, there is a question "Have you ever: been convicted of a crime or offense in any country?" I have a Misdemeanor arrest that I pled No Contest to from over 50 years ago that I found out still shows up on background checks (I had completely forgotten about it until I applied for a teaching position several years ago). There is no actual arrest record, only a 3×5 card that simply says "Attempting trespassing / No Contest" and that's it… a dumb drunk college night that led to the police being alerted. Anyway… that was ten lifetimes ago. SO QUESTION — As I will need to check YES in that box, will that single arrest prevent me from obtaining a Spouse Visa and subsequently a Permanent Resident Visa?
Other than that one stupid night, I've never even had a driving ticket. Please advise, I'm concerned given the new darker attitude toward foreigners living in Japan that seems to be on the rise. Not being able to immigrate to Japan because of a visa holdup/denial will be a huge problem for us.
by TheRealElektro