COVID-19 status to be lowered to category five 

The legal status of COVID-19 under the infectious disease control law will be lowered to category five from May 8, placing it on the same level as the seasonal flu.

• Legal requests of self-quarantine to infected persons or their close contacts will be discontinued.
• Registration of a positive case for persons using a self-test kit will be abolished.
• Medical expenses（for inspections or treatment, and so on）are to be paid individually based on health insurance, however public funds will continue to cover the costs such as drugs for COVID-19 for the time being.

※The information above is the latest as of April 19. We will keep you informed regarding the revising of the class of COVID-19 on the official website of the City of Sendai. Please contact us or visit our website for the latest information and further details.
TEL：090-1666-1076（Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.）

Notice Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination

Information regarding vaccination is available in easy Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Nepali.
Easy Japanese｜English｜Chinese｜Korean｜Vietnamese｜Nepali

High School, etc. Tuition Support Loan Information

Borrowers of Japan Finance Corporation Educational General Finance Loans (National Education Loan), may have accrued interest that has been paid during the student's enrolment in an educational institution (high school, vocational school, etc.) subsidized. 

• Application Period: From July 3 (Mon) to December 8 (Fri)
• Eligibility: Guardians of students in an educational institution as listed above who are living in Sendai City.
• Conditions: Complete/full payment of inhabitant taxes, etc.

Inquiries：School Affairs Section TEL: 022-214-8861

FY 2023 Taxation or Tax Exemption Certificates of Inhabitant Tax (Income Certificates) to be Issued

Certificates are issued by the municipality in which you resided as of January 1st, 2023.
The issuing day for the FY 2023 is as follows.

• Those who are exempt from taxes, and those who have inhabitant taxes directly deducted from their salary.

• Those who will pay inhabitant taxes after receiving the notice of payment, and those whose inhabitant taxes will be deducted from their pension.

Providing a Gift of Money for the Third Child and Onwards When They Enter Elementary School

• Eligibility: Guardians of elementary school students (third child and onwards) who entered school in FY 2023, and are living in Sendai City as of May 1st.
• Payment amount: 30,000 yen.
• Application deadline: May 31, 2023
• How to apply：Please refer to the notice which will be distributed through elementary schools, or contact the following office directly for more details.

Currently Accepting Applications for Municipal Housing (for Single Parent Households, Child-rearing Households, and Households with Multiple Children) : Applications Open until May 16

• “Application Guides for Sendai City Municipal Housing” will be available from May 2 (Tue.) at the following locations:

• How to apply: Choose one municipal housing unit from the table, fill out the application form attached to the application guide and mail it in the provided envelope by May 16 (Tue). In the event that the number of applications exceeded that of available housing, decisions will be made via lottery.
• Earliest move-in date: July 25 (Tue), 2023(tentative)
• Eligibility: Individuals who fulfill all of the following requirements
  1)Those who are facing difficulties in their current housing situation.
  2)Applicants whose household fall into any of the following categories:
  ・Single-parent household consisting of the applicant who is raising a child younger than the age of 20.
  ・Child-rearing household raising a preschooler.
  ・Multiple-children household with 3 or more children younger than the age of 18.
  3)Those who reside or work in Sendai City.

Although applications from individuals who resided in areas under evacuation orders by the 2011 nuclear disaster, evacuees who resided in areas eligible for support based on the Children and Victims Support Act, and victims of domestic violence and crimes are also accepted, application requirements may differ. Please inquire for further details.
Inquiries: Application Section of Sendai City Construction Public Corporation 
TEL: 022-214-3604

Persons who were not eligible to receive Child Allowance in FY 2022 might be eligible in FY 2023. 

Individuals who meet both conditions 1)and 2)may be eligible for Child Allowance starting from June 2023. 

• Conditions：
  1)Those who were not eligible for Child Allowance in FY 2022 due to having exceeded the income limit in 2021.
  2)Those whose income in 2022 was below the income limit. 
• You must submit an application in order to receive Child Allowance. Please contact the following office for further details. 

AIDS, Syphilis and Chlamydia Testing

●Anonymous testing available.
●Reservation required.
●How to apply:
Reservations can be made by calling the dedicated reservation line (TEL: 090-4478-4641), between 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, from approximately one month before the testing date up until the day before the testing, or from the official website of the City of Sendai.
1) Night-time AIDS, Syphilis and Chlamydia Testing:
Date: June 1 (Thu) 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Aoba Ward Office
The test taker will be directly informed of the results at a later date.
2) Holidays Rapid Testing of AIDS and Syphilis:
Date: June 3 (Sat.) 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 
Venue: Health Consultation Office of Koseikan (1-1-5, Miyamachi, Aoba-ku)
3) Night-time Rapid Testing of AIDS and Syphilis:
Date: June 9 (Fri.) and 23 (Fri.) 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
Venue: Koseikan Health Consultation Office (1-1-5, Miyamachi, Aoba-ku)
4) Rapid Testing of AIDS and Syphilis.
Date : June 10 (Sat.)10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m./ 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Venue: Aoba Ward Office
The test taker will be directly informed of the results of 2),3) and 4)about one hour after blood samples have been taken. (In the case of indeterminate results, the test taker will be notified of the results at a later date.)
Capacity: Testing services 1)& 4)are limited to approximately 25 people, and 2)& 3)are limited to approximately 30 people, all on a first-come-first-served basis.
Inquiries：Infectious Disease Countermeasures Office 
TEL: 022-214-8029

Declaration Form related to National Health Insurance Premiums to be Sent out

There is a system available for reduction of National Health Insurance premiums for households whose total income falls below a certain threshold. A declaration form will be sent in mid-May that must be submitted by May 24, 2023, if the National Health Insurance Premiums of your household were reduced in the previous fiscal year, and the City of Sendai was unable to determine the total income of your household for 2022.
Inquiries: National Health Insurance and Pension Section of Ward Offices and Miyagi General Branch, Public Health and Welfare Section of Akiu General Branch