Domestic Point of Contact

Many utility companies and local municipalities in Japan require a Domestic Point of Contact (国内連絡先) — a Japan-based person or entity that can be reached for any questions or issues related to your property and utilities. This is especially important for foreign property owners who live overseas and may not speak Japanese.

Why It Matters

Some utility providers, particularly in rural or regional areas, insist on having a local contact before agreeing to set up or maintain services. While not yet universally mandatory, the Japanese government is moving toward making this a formal requirement for foreign property owners. Having a domestic point of contact in place now avoids potential service disruptions down the road.

MailMate as Your Domestic Point of Contact

MailMate can serve as your domestic point of contact for utility companies. This means utility providers can contact us by phone or mail with any questions, and we will handle the communication and keep you informed. We are based in Japan, fluent in Japanese, and familiar with the administrative requirements of local utilities and municipalities.

Liaison Service

If your utility company requires regular, ongoing communication with a local contact, our Liaison Service may be the right fit. This covers direct communication with utility providers on your behalf — for example, if a company needs to confirm account details, schedule access, or relay important notices.

Liaison support can be added to any MailMate plan. Please contact us for current pricing.

Getting Started

When you set up utilities through MailMate, we can register ourselves as the domestic point of contact at the time of account setup. If you already have utilities running and need to update the contact details, we can assist with that transition as well.

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Documentation is updated from time to time — please confirm with MailMate personnel in all cases. Documentation may be out of date, lack details, or have mistakes.