Military Members Marrying in Japan?

Someone was searching this on the website.. If you know please provide them answers.

I wasn't the one searching for information on this, but it is something I've been wondering about recently (not because I'm looking to dump my husband and remarry, but just because I like to ponder random things). How exactly does that work? Specifically when marrying another military member (since I would assume a marriage to a Japanese national would involve going through the local government). Do they get a Japanese marriage license? Is there some way to get an American marriage license?

It can be done, but there is a lot of paperwork to fill out (and I think a lot of it is in Japanese) and then you file it with the ward office (usually ends up being in Yokohama). You end up getting a Japanese marriage license, which you then have to have officially translated in order to use it for proof of marriage for anything on base. We thought about doing it, but ended up just flying over to Hawaii and getting married there. I've heard some people go to Guam too.

My hubby and I got married off base in Japan in '02.  We got hitched off base at the Fussa City Hall (near Yokota Air Base).  First, we had to pick up some paperwork from the US Embassy in Roppongi.  Then, we got a translator to go to the city hall with us.  We gave them our completed paperwork and they told us to "come back in one hour."  We went and had lunch, went back to the city hall, and bam......we were married!  They handed us our marriage certificate (all in Japanese) and said, "you....(pause).....married."  We looked at each other and said, "Well, I guess we're married!"  And that was that.  

In the end, the Navy never recognized our marriage since we got married off base and bypassed all the pre-marriage counseling they required.  It didn't really matter because my husband was getting out of the military anyway.  We went to the base legal office and had the marriage certificate translated into English.

I never had a problem with getting my name changed back in the states with an international marriage certificate....although, I got a lot of blank stares.  

Yoko, I would have LOVED to see the looks they gave you when you gave them the marriage cert. in Japanese! XD