• Renew your Japanese passport every 10 years.Japan image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
  
  If you are a Japanese citizen, it is mandatory that you have a current Japanese passport before traveling internationally. Japanese passports must be renewed every five years for individuals under 20 years of age when the passport was issued and every 10 years for individuals over 21 years of age when the passport was issued. The passport is usually available in about five days. The renewal process is not difficult and requires the same information as an application.
  
  

Documents

• Fill out a renewal form written in black ink and present a Family Registry document that has been issued within the past six months to the Japanese Consulate. If your passport has not yet expired during the renewal process and there have been no changes to the family name or residence since the passport was last issued, the Family Registry document is not necessary.
  
  

Photograph

• Present a current photo of yourself. This photo must include your entire face from a frontal point of view and include everything from the top of the head to the chin. The photo must be one and one-quarter to one and three-eighths inches in size. You may not wear sunglasses or a hat for the photo, nor can there be any shadows on your face. School photos are not acceptable.
  
  

Official Documents

• Supply your current passport, even if it is expired. If you are a current permanent resident of the United States, you must also provide your Green Card. If you are a dual citizen of Japan and the United States, you must provide your American passport or birth certificate.
  
  

Proof of Curent Residence

• Some proof of current residence must also be provided. Such documentation can take the form of a current driver's license, a current checkbook with your address listed or some form of official mail to the applicant, such as a bill, tax form or letter from an official government office.
  
  

Fees

• When the passport is picked up (between five days and six months after the application has been made), the applicant must pay the fee for the renewal. As of August 2010, the fee for a 10-year renewal is $170, the fee for a five-year passport is $117 and the fee for a five-year passport for children under 12 years of age is $64. Cash, money orders or cashier checks are the only acceptable forms of payment; the consulate does not accept credit cards or debit cards.