2026 Sendai City 20-Year-Old Coming of Age Ceremony to be held on January 11 (Sun)

• Time: [For residents of Aoba and Izumi wards] 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Venue opens at 11:00 a.m.）
   [For residents of Miyagino, Wakabayashi, Taihaku wards] 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Venue opens at 2:00 p.m.）
• Venue: XEVIO Arena Sendai (Sendai City Arena)
• Eligibility: Those who live in Sendai City and were born between April 2, 2005 and April 1, 2006 (Those who have a resident registration in Sendai City as of October 31 were sent an invitation in late November. Those without an invitation can also attend.)
• On the day of the event, please enter the venue following the routes printed on the invitation cards.
• There is no parking lot. Please come to the venue using public transportation.
• Those in possession of or drinking alcoholic beverages will be denied entry.
• For more details, refer to the official website of the City of Sendai.

Inquiries: Lifelong Learning Section TEL: 022-214-8887

Financial Assistance (School Supplies Fees for New Entrants) for Elementary School Entrants of April 2026

• Eligibility: Those whose child is scheduled to enter an elementary school starting from April 2026 and fulfil all the following requirements.　

1. Those who have a resident record in Sendai City as of February 1, 2026, and do NOT plan to move out of the city by March 31, 2026.　
2. Households that are NOT receiving financial assistance (School Supplies Fees for New Entrants) for school entrants from other municipalities.
3. Households that are NOT receiving welfare as of February 2026.　
4. Those who have NOT purchased a new house between April 1, 2025 and Mach 31, 2026.
5. Households that are eligible for financial assistance for elementary school entrants must meet the following conditions:
   - Household income falls under or is below a certain yearly income bracket. 
   - Households that are receiving Child-rearing Allowance.

• Subsidized amount: 57,060 yen
• How to Apply: Apply online or by mail using the Application Form downloaded from the official website of the City of Sendai.
• Application Period: until December 26, 2025

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

Paying Your National Health Insurance Premiums / Advanced-Age Medical Insurance Premiums via Bank Transfer

A direct debit bank transfer (口座振替 / Koza Furikae) is a reliable and convenient method to make payments for your National Health Insurance Premiums and Advanced-Age Medical Insurance Premiums. You can apply online using your PC and smartphone for the “Web Automatic Bank Transfer Application Service” for the following eligible financial institutions. Online applications save you time and effort, as you will not need to submit the application form and your registered seal to the bank in person. 

• Eligible banks: 77 Bank, Sendai Bank, Mori No Miyako Shinkin Bank, and Japan Post Bank
• You can submit an application form for direct debit directly to a bank counter.

<Payment changes for special collection of insurance premiums>
Those to whom special collection of insurance premiums also applies (deducted from your public pension) can change the method of payment for their premiums to bank transfer. If you would like to change your payment method, you must submit an application for using bank transfers and an application for termination of special collection. Please note that timings of terminations of special collection will differ depending on when the application was submitted.

For either case, see the official website of the City of Sendai for further information.
Inquiries concerning online applications: Payment Collection Measures Office TEL: 022-214-1334
Inquiries concerning special collections: National Health Insurance and Pension Section of each ward office and the Miyagi General Branch, or the Public Health and Welfare Section of the Akiu General Branch

City Services During the Year-End and New Year Period

City services, except those mentioned below, are scheduled to be closed from December 29 (Mon) to January 3 (Sat). As ward offices and other service counters are usually extremely crowded during the year-end and New Year period every year, we recommend that you visit early to avoid the peak period.

• Ward Offices
  Each ward office and general branch will provide the following services at the security office on a 24-hour basis (8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. for the Akiu General Branch) from December 29 (Mon) to January 3 (Sat):

1. Acceptance of notifications regarding family registers, such as reports of marriage and reports of death
2. Issuance of burial and cremation authorizations

• City Buses / Subway
  Timetables and business hours for ticket counters, the Information Center and the Lost & Found Center will be changed during the year-end and New Year period. For more information, please check the website of the Sendai City Transportation Bureau( External link ) or contact the Information Center of the Sendai City Transportation Bureau at 022-222-2256 (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. from December 29 (Mon) to January 3 (Sat)).
• Gas Bureau / Waterworks
  Gas and waterworks services will be available 24/7 during the year-end and New Year period via the following routes:

1. Gas Bureau TEL: 022-256-2111（if you suspect that there is a gas leak, etc.）
2. Waterworks Repairs Reception Center TEL: 022-304-3299（burst water pipes, leakages, etc.）

• Sewerage
  Please contact the Sendai City Hall Security Office (TEL: 022-261-1111) if there is a blockage between main sewage pipes and public catch basins, or if there are damages to public manholes or sewage pipes, etc. For issues related to household drainage system, please directly contact a plumber sewage contractor.
• Closure of facilities
  Closures of sports, education and cultural facilities may differ. Please directly inquire each facility about holiday season closures.
• Waste Collection, etc.
  Please put out your waste at designated collection points from early in the morning until 8:30 a.m. on the designated waste collection days.
  Inquiries: Your local Collection Office
  Aoba Collection Office TEL: 022-277-5300
  Miyagino Collection Office TEL: 022-236-5300 
  Wakabayashi Collection Office TEL: 022-289-2051
  Taihaku Collection Office TEL: 022-248-5300
  Izumi Collection Office TEL: 022-773-5300

Consultations for Starting a Business

1. Consultations for matters related to starting a business
   Date and time: December 17 (Wed) 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
   Who it is for: Those who are considering starting a business in Miyagi Prefecture or have just started a business. (Limited to the first 30 applicants.) 
2. Consultation for Foreign Entrepreneurs
   Date and time: December 25 (Thu) 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
   Who it is for: Foreign residents, including international students, who are interested in starting a business in Sendai City or have been operating a business for approximately 5 years or less. (Limited to the first 10 applicants.)

• Venue: AER Building 7F
• Content: Individual consultations with relevant experts on starting/running a business.
• How to apply: Apply via the website of the Sendai City Entrepreneurship Support Center starting from 9:00 a.m. on December 8. Application for 1 by phone is also accepted. 

Inquiries: Sendai City Industrial Promotion Organization TEL: 022-724-1124

Rasing the age limit of the Child Medical Expense Subsidy and abolishing copayment

The City of Sendai will raise the age limit from 15 years-old to 18 years-old for the Child Medical Expenses Subsidy and abolish copayment. An application is required by December 26 (Fri), 2025 for 16 and 17 year-olds (born in April 2, 2008 – April 1, 2010) to receive the subsidy. Those who reside in Sendai City were sent an “Application Guide” in November. Please refer to the official website of the City of Sendai for more details.
 Inquiries: Childcare and Benefit Section of ward offices / Public Health and Welfare Section of general branches

AIDS and Syphilis Rapid Testing

• Reservation required
• How to apply:
  Reservations can be made by calling the dedicated reservation line (TEL: 090-4478-4641), between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, from two weeks before the testing date up until the day before the testing, or from the official website of the City of Sendai.

1. Night-time Rapid Testing of AIDS and Syphilis: 
   Date and time: December 26 (Fri) / January 9 (Fri) 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  
   Venue: 6F of AER  
2. Holiday Rapid Testing of AIDS and Syphilis 
   Date and time: January 10 (Sat) 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. 
   Venue: Health Consultation Office of Koseikan (1-1-5, Miyamachi, Aoba-ku)

Capacity: Approximately 30 people each（first-come first-served）
The test taker will be directly informed of the results 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.)
Inquiries: Infectious Disease Countermeasure Section　TEL: 022-214-8029

Currently Accepting Applications for Municipal Housing
―Applications Open Until December 16 (Tue)―

• "Application Guide for Sendai City Municipal Housing" will be available from December 5 (Fri) at the following locations:
  - Application Section of the Sendai City Construction Public Corporation (Sendai City Hall Kokubuncho Building 2nd Floor)
  - Sendai Information Center (Sendai City Hall 2nd Floor)
  - Information Desk of each Ward Office
  - General Branches
  - Family and Resident Registration Section of Sendai Station Service Center, Aoba Ward Office (AER Building 5th Floor), etc. 
• How to apply: Choose one municipal housing unit from the chart, fill out the application form attached to the Application Guide and mail the form in using the provided envelope by December 16 (Tue). In the event that the number of applications exceeded that of available housing units, decisions will be made via lottery.
• Earliest move in date: February 27 (Fri), 2026 (tentative)
• Eligibility: Individuals who fulfill all the following requirements: 

1. Those who are facing difficulties in their current housing situation.
2. Those with relatives whom they are currently living together with or are planning to move in together with.
3. Those who reside or work in Sendai City.
   There are other conditions such as that one's income must be lower than a certain amount, etc. For more details, please see the Application Guide.

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