Foreign residents in areas hit by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake have a legally extended residence period, but the expiry date printed on their residence cards has not changed. The Financial Services Agency has asked industry groups to make sure banks know the difference.
The extension. A Ministry of Justice notice (No. 69, dated August 7, 2026) was issued under the special-measures law for victims of specified extraordinary disasters. It uniformly extends the residence-period expiry date to January 27, 2027 for people whose residence is in a municipality where the Disaster Relief Act was applied to the quake.
The mismatch. Banks monitor the residence periods of foreign account holders under the FSA's guidelines on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. The FSA said the cards still carry the pre-extension date, and that affected residents have raised concern that their accounts will be closed.
The request. In a letter dated September 10, 2026, the heads of the general affairs divisions of the FSA's Banking and Securities Supervision Bureau and its Asset Management and Insurance Supervision Bureau asked the relevant industry associations to circulate the handling of the extension to their member institutions. The FSA published the notice and the letter on October 5.
The FSA's notice and the letter's covering text describe no suspension of the anti-money-laundering requirements, and neither says what banks should do with accounts whose card dates have passed. The letter points to an attachment for the handling of the extension. The extension runs to January 27, 2027.