By Jay In my head, the Japanese-language side of raising our kids has always lived in one folder: that’s a Dako thing. Not a decision I made out loud, just a habit of thought I never examined. I’ve quietly filed…
By Jay For most of our marriage, my answer to “what visa would you even get” has been a shrug and a sentence like “I’m married to a Japanese citizen, so it’ll work out.” I have never looked past that…
By Dako If you have family in Japan, you’ve heard some version of it. “Put that into a NISA. It’s tax-free now, forever.” The US side says 529, usually with less explanation. Both sides are describing a real thing. Neither…
By Dako Most people picture giving up a green card as part of the move. Pack the house, fly to Japan, mail the card back once the dust settles. The immigration side is fine with that story. The tax side…
By Dako Nearly every account we own is American. Two 401(k)s, a brokerage account, the IRAs, the HSA, the kids’ 529. All of it sits in US institutions, in dollars, under US law. When I first read about Japan’s inheritance…
By Dako The number that runs the US exit tax is $2 million. Net worth, everything you own, counted on the day you give up your green card or your passport. It has never been adjusted for inflation. A household…
By Dako I have never paid a single yen into Japan’s pension system. Not one month. My working life has been American, my Social Security record has been building for years, and next to it sits a Japanese-shaped blank that…
By Jay Everything we’ve published about a two-country life has a column for money. Taxes, accounts, which country gets to tax which withdrawal. None of it has a column for the kids. I noticed that recently and felt a specific…
By Dako We have a bank account in Japan that earns nothing, owes nothing, and exists to pay for train tickets and dinners when we’re back. It’s in my name because Japanese banks don’t do joint accounts. Money goes in…
By Dako A 401(k) is an American object. It lives at an American custodian, follows American rules, and reports to the IRS on American forms. Ask most people in our position what happens to it after a move to Japan…