Kocoforre is now a designated consultation center of Houterasu’s Kochi Regional Office
| ➤Houterasu（Japan Legal Support Center）Homepage→https://www.houterasu.or.jp/index.html
►Legal Information for Foreign Nationals (English) https://www.houterasu.or.jp/multilingual/index.html |
Legal consultations through lawyers at Houterasu are now available in various languages at Kochi Consultation Center for Foreign Residents. Being able to consult without worrying about language barriers opens the door to receiving support in legal matters and matters related to daily living. Those eligible for consultation are foreign nationals and naturalized citizens who meet Houterasu’s assistance requirements and legally reside in Kochi Prefecture. Consultations include legal advice on an individual’s personal or family affairs and administrative cases.
Foreign nationals and naturalized citizens may receive advice in their mother language through interpretation services. Interpreters and three-way interpretation services are free and available to use during consultations.
| Services as a Designated Consultation Center of Houterasu |
| Services | Lawyer |
| Eligibility | Foreign nationals and naturalized citizens who meet Houterasu’s assistance requirements and legally reside in Kochi Prefecture |
| Estimated Time | One consultation is approximately 30-40 minutes |
| Number of Times | Those eligible may consult up to three times per case |
| Fee | Free (Interpretation services are also free) |
| Location | Kochi Consultation Center for Foreign Residents（Kocoforre） 〔Address：Kochi, Honmachi, 4 Chome−1−37〕 |
| The Consultation Process |
① The consultee applies for consultation at Kocoforre
② The consultee determines their eligibility for the Civil Legal Aid System (at the Houterasu window)
③ If eligible, the consultee schedules a consultation with a lawyer and determines whether or not interpretation services are necessary.
※ If the consultee is not eligible, Kocoforre staff will refer the consultee to a lawyer who will provide counsel for a fee, according to the client’s wishes.
④ On the scheduled consultation date, the lawyer and the consultee will meet at Kocoforre to consult.
※The consultee should arrive at Kocoforre 30 minutes before the scheduled time to fill out necessary documents.
