City Notices and Services

The Plaza of Multicultural Exchange Sakai (POME Sakai) can help you with language assistance for any of the processes in the city notices listed here.

February will be the fourth appointed time for Fixed Property Tax and City Planning Tax. The deadline is February 28th. Please pay at the nearest banking facility, convenience store etc. Payment can also be made using the pay-easy mobile payment method and credit cards on the regional tax payment site (eLTAX for payment). For those that use the automatic transfer, the fourth payment period for Fixed Property Tax and City Planning Tax will automatically be deducted on February 28th so please check that you have sufficient funds.

This is an important procedure which provides the basis for the calculation of taxes in FY2025 and also enables taxpayers to be issued with tax certificates such as “Proof of Income” (所得証明書 shotokushomeisho). To prevent congestion, please submit documents by post. The forms are available on the Sakai City Government website.

Who needs to make a municipal and prefectural tax declaration?
Anyone who had an address within Sakai City as of January 1st 2025 and received income in 2024, excluding:

● Anyone who informs the national tax office of his/her income individually
● Anyone whose income is solely derived from wages and the place of employment automatically informs the municipal government of their earnings
● Anyone whose income during 2024 is from public pension only and 1.55 million yen and under (1.05 million yen and under for those born on January 2nd 1960 and after)
If you had no income in 2024, but still want to receive a “Proof of Income”, please make a declaration.

Declaration period:
February 17th to March 14th (excluding weekends and public holidays).
Time: 9:00-17:15
Place: City Hall Main Building 3F Meeting Room, Naka/Higashi/Minami Ward Office 2F Meeting Room, Nishi Ward Office Basement Meeting Room, Kita Ward Office 1F Meeting Room, Mihara Ward Office 3F Meeting Room

Necessary Items:
● Documents that can prove your earnings, e.g. income tax withholding slip (like 源泉徴収票 gensen choshuhyo)
● Documents that can prove a deduction from your income, e.g. payment receipts of national health insurance (国民健康保険 kokumin kenko hoken)
● ID (such as My Number card or the combination of My Number Notification card and Driver’s license)

Due to renovations, the 21st floor lobby at Sakai City Hall will be closed.
Period: February 3rd ~ April 4th

If you do not make payments from pension, the deadline for national health insurance payments (June through to March of the following year) is the last day of every month, aside from December which is the 25th. The deadline for elderly person health insurance payments is the last day of every month between July and March of the following year (for account transfer, the deadline in December is 28th). If the payment date falls on a closure date of financial institutions, the payment day will be the following day. The payment period for February and March are as follows:
February: February 28th
March: March 31st

If a student earned a fixed amount or under during the previous year (if you don’t have dependents 1.28 million yen) they are eligible for a postponement of payment of contributions for National Pension. The approved period under this system counts towards the normal obligation time but is not reflected in your pension amount. Furthermore, if you happen to get a disability due to an injury or sickness in this period, you may be eligible for disability pension if you meet certain requirements.
To apply, please bring your pension book or Notification of Pension Number, My Number card/My Number Notification card with other personal identification, and student ID card or certificate to the Health Insurance and Pension Division at your local ward office. You can also apply by post or through ‘Mynaportal’. If you are continuing use of this system, please simply return the postcard when sent to you.

Illegally parked bicycles (including mini-bikes) cause disturbances to the safety of pedestrians and interruptions to emergency vehicles. Illegally parked bicycles will be removed within the parking-ban zones of the city’s 27 stations (around 300m range from stations). The return of removed illegally parked bicycles will incur a removal and storage fee. Please use the bicycle parking spaces provided.

In the case that a household covered by the National Health Insurance has an insured person who expects/delivered a baby/babies, per capita and per income portions imposed on the insured person from January 2024 and onwards will be exempted, and so the insurance premiums for the household will be reduced.

Eligibility: Insured person whose expected/actual date of birth is from November 2023 or after
Reduction period: 4 months from the month before the expected/actual date of birth
(for multiple births, it will be 6 months from 3 months before the month of expected/actual date of birth).
Necessary documents: Documents that show the National health insurance number, documents that can confirm the applicant’s personal identity and the mother-child health book with which the expected/actual date of birth can be confirmed.

Payment of contributions to the National Pension before and after giving birth will be exempted upon notification. The exemption period will be considered the same as payment, however you can still make additional payments if you wish.
Eligibility: Primary insured person (daiichigo hihokensha) whose date of birth is 2019 February 1st, or later.
Exemption period: 4 months from the month before the expected/actual date of birth
(for multiple births, it will be 6 months from 3 months before the month of expected/actual date of birth).
However, it is limited to the period of 2019 April and after.
Necessary documents: Documents that can confirm the applicant’s personal identity and the mother-child health book with which the expected/actual date of birth can be confirmed.
*To apply for the deduction/exemption, please bring in necessary items to the Health Insurance and Pension Division at your local ward office, by post or the 'Mynaportal' application system from 6 months before the expected date of birth.
* A power of attorney is needed if a person outside of the household comes to the ward office.
*Any pregnancy 85 days and over (around 4 months) is counted, including premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage.

From April 2025 within Osaka prefecture the smoking ban policy will be enforced. Around 5 years ago from April 2020, the country started to implement measures against passive smoking to prevent unwanted passive smoking, making smoking manners into rules.
Facilities that many people use in principle are non-smoking. You can only smoke in designated smoking rooms. In places where smoking is banned you cannot smoke. You may be subjected to paying a fine. In addition, those under 20 years old are not able to enter these smoking rooms. Furthermore, from April 2025, the ordinance of Osaka Prefecture will implement stricter regulations than national laws for the prevention of unwanted passive smoking. This may also be subjected to fines. Even the restaurants where smoking is permitted will be banned from April if they are larger than the criteria. When at a restaurant or cafe, please check the label at the entrance of the establishment.

Using EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan as an opportunity we are promoting the appeal of Sakai through the special website and video which are open to the public now. Please feel free to watch.

◆Promotional video of Sakai

A promotional video where you can see the experience of tea ceremony culture, knives, a Japanese garden, shrines and temples, interaction with people in an immersive way unique to Sakai.

◆Special website

Based on the concept of “3rd destination” we are promoting to stop by Sakai and enjoy Japanese culture in your own time at many sightseeing spots and hands-on experiences in Sakai.