🏦 Typhoon No. 24 & Rain: Bank Relief for Kagoshima

❓ What was announced

On September 7, 2026, Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) announced that the Kyushu Local Finance Bureau had issued a request titled "Financial Measures for Disasters Caused by Typhoon No. 24 and Frontal Heavy Rain (Reiwa 8)." The request is dated September 7 and covers Kagoshima Prefecture. "Financial measures" is a standing mechanism: when a disaster strikes, the FSA and the relevant Local Finance Bureau send a written request to private financial institutions — banks, shinkin banks, credit unions and insurers — asking them to handle affected customers flexibly. No new law is created; the responsible bureau issues a fresh request each time a new disaster area appears. In normal times, withdrawing a deposit requires a passbook, cash card and the registered seal. Under a disaster request, institutions are asked to serve customers who have lost these items once identity is confirmed, and to respond carefully to consultations on loan repayment and insurance payouts. The specific items of the request are published on the Kyushu Local Finance Bureau's page.

👥 Who is affected

• ●Anyone who suffered damage from Typhoon No. 24 or the frontal heavy rain in Kagoshima Prefecture, regardless of nationality
• ●Depositors who lost passbooks, cash cards, seals or residence cards in the disaster
• ●People struggling to repay housing, car or business loans
• ●Policyholders considering fire, earthquake or life insurance claims
• ●Those with family or a business in the affected area who need to act from outside Japan

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

These measures carry no nationality condition. Foreign residents, technical intern trainees, students and tourists affected in Kagoshima can consult bank counters on the same footing as Japanese citizens. The practical gap is usually identity verification. Japanese customers often show a driver's license, while foreign residents rely on a residence card or special permanent resident certificate, and travelers on a passport. If those were lost in the disaster, explain the situation at the counter and ask what alternative confirmation is possible. Lost income also puts pressure on rent, phone bills, scholarships and remittances home. Contacting the lender as soon as repayment looks difficult — rather than after falling behind — makes it far easier to discuss changed terms. If explaining in Japanese is daunting, ask a bilingual family member, your employer's contact person, or the city's multicultural support desk to sit in with you.