present perfect

[i0pepper]

Hello, I'm very happy to find this great web page!

Can we use the following sentences?
"I have come to Japan since 1995."
"I have gone to Japan since 1995."

My friend from England says NO, but another friend from California says YES.

[Tdol]

As you're in Japan, I would use:
I came to Japan in 1995.
I have been in Japan since 1995.

I would consider both of the sentences in your post to be wrong. (British speaker)

[rewboss]

It depends what you mean.

If what you mean is that you came to Japan in 1995 and are still living there, then no, your sentences are definitely wrong.

However, they do make sense -- just not the sense you intended (that's why you got two different answers). They mean that at some unspecified time between 1995 and now, you made at least one visit to Japan. You would use the first sentence if you are in Japan at the time of speaking; otherwise you'd use the second sentence -- although to native speakers it still sounds unnatural.

A more natural version, though, would be "I have been to Japan once/many times/twice since 1995".

[Coffa]

Actually, they are still wrong even with the sense Rewboss has explained, which is the past continuous tense. If they were intended in that sense, the correct sentence would be "I have been (coming or going) to Japan since 1995". 'Coming' would be the correct word if you were speaking to someone while you were in Japan, and 'going' if you were not in Japan at the time. The original sentences are simply ungrammatical - the present perfect tense makes no sense in this context.

[i0pepper]

tdol, rewboss, and Coffa,

I see!! Thank you for your very clear and quick replies: )