Citizenship in Japan
Luis Minvielle
Luis is a writer with over 5 years of experience in B2B software. Even though he has always worked in tech, a sector he regularly publishes about, his initial incursions into writing were, curiously enough, music essays discussing scenes from different parts of the world—most likely to deal with his unfulfilled ambition of becoming a neo-soul crooner.
Oleksandra Dosii
Oleksandra is a dedicated marketer with a passion for growing HR-tech products. She believes content marketing is about delivering high-quality content that provides value—not just generating leads. Since 2016, Oleksandra has been involved in tech talent relocation.
Last update: September 30, 2024
Next update: Scheduled for February 1, 2025
To be eligible for citizenship in Japan, you must have lived in the country for at least five continuous years, or have at least one Japanese parent, or be married to a Japanese citizen and have lived in the country for three years. In this article, you will find help and information about the long process of applying for Japanese citizenship.
Does Japan allow dual citizenship?
No. Japan does not allow dual citizenship. This is clear off Japanese official websites in English. Japan "uniformly prohibits" multiple nationalities. When a Japanese person becomes a foreign national, they lose their Japanese citizenship. Also, people who have more than one nationality must choose their nationality by the age of 20.
This issue is key to understand where the convenience of Japanese citizenship stands at.
Are you eligible for citizenship in Japan?
According to the Japanese Nationality Act, Japanese citizenship can be acquired by three means: birth, notification or naturalisation.
Birth
A baby will become a Japanese citizen if their father or mother were Japanese at the time of birth—or if the father, being Japanese, passed away before the birth—or if the baby is born in the country and their parents are unknown or have no nationality.
Notification
For cases in which the baby—born from a Japanese father—was not acknowledged at the time of birth—for example, because they were born in another country or because the birth happened before marriage—a notification can be made to the Minister of Justice and citizenship will be granted to the child, as long as they are under 20 years old, and the father acknowledges them.
Naturalisation
If you are reading this article, you are probably most interested in this point, as it is the way of entry for those who have no Japanese roots. To apply for Japanese citizenship by naturalisation, the requirements are:
- Having lived in the country for at least five continuous years.
- Be at least 20 years old and regarded as competent by the laws of your country of origin.
- Maintaining good conduct—yet another example of the importance Japanese society grants to manners and righteousness.
- Being able to withstand yourself economically or by the means of your spouse or relatives who share living expenses with you.
- Not having another nationality. You have to give up your previous nationality.
- This one may seem obvious, but not having attempted or advocated for a coup d'état.
If you do not meet all of these criteria, there are some exceptions you may use in your favour to apply for citizenship in Japan. However, the decision on whether the following items are sufficient will be made by the Minister of Justice:
- If you have lived in Japan for more than 10 continuous years.
- If your spouse is Japanese, and you have been residing in the country for three years or more.
- If your spouse is Japanese, your marriage happened more than three years ago, and you have lived in the country for at least one year.
There are some other exceptions, but they are mostly related to adoption or to a total lack of nationality. You can check every exception here.
Is Japanese citizenship better than the permanent residence?
Japan is a very unusual nation when it comes to the comparison between citizenship vs. permanent residence. In most Western countries, the path that takes the longest to traverse is the citizenship because with the help of this, you can obtain a passport. For example, in Denmark, you need to have a permanent residency to even ask for a passport—so the residency is seen as a stepping stone.
Japan, on the contrary, requests double the years—10—for its permanent residency compared to the five required for a passport. This is perplexing because, allegedly, being a citizen is always better than being a permanent resident. Also, Japan is famous for having a ridiculously strong passport. Why would anyone seek the more strenuous permanent residence rather than the passport?
It all boils down to nationality preferences, taxes, and your previous citizenship. If, for example, losing your U.S. nationality will cause you tax trouble, then a Japanese permanent residency could work better for you. If you’re from a country with a weak passport and aren't concerned about losing your original nationality, then the citizenship is an attractive path. Also, becoming a Japanese citizen is irreversible because it strips you of your previous nationality, but permanent residence is a lot simpler to walk out from.
How does the Japanese citizenship compare to some European nations?
Obviously, the Japanese passport does not hold the incredibly advantageous benefits of its European counterparts: You can’t work in Lisbon, Cologne, Salzburg, or Barcelona alike with a single passport like a newly-minted Danish citizen can do. This is immediately apparent too quickly, but it’s worth noting when understanding why the Japanese don’t make the citizenship process as long as some European nations.
Where and how to apply for Japanese citizenship?
The application is to be done personally and handwritten, in the Legal Affairs Bureau, in the Regional Bureau of Legal Affairs of your Japanese jurisdiction, or in the Japanese embassy if you have an address abroad. If the candidate is younger than 15 years old, their parents or legal representatives should apply on their behalf.
You will need to submit a long list of documents, which include:
- Passport of country of origin and updated photographs
- An application form that will be provided by the Ministry of Justice
- Documents that provide general information about your relatives
- A statement of purpose for naturalisation
- Your resume
- Residence certificate
- Documents that prove tax payment
- Documents that prove income
- Documents describing your family, so a family register can be created
The necessary documents may vary depending on the applicant’s nationality, family relationships and occupation. The local Legal Affairs Bureau should be able to guide you through the process.
The Ministry of Justice will also interview you to gather information regarding personal and immigration history, as well as motives for nationality requests and plans for the future.
How long does the process take, and how much does it cost?
Once you have gathered all the documents and submitted your application, you can expect an answer by 10 to 12 months. The application is free, but you will probably have to spend money doing official translations of all the required documents.
Do you need to speak advanced Japanese to get citizenship?
Although there is no formal language and culture test when applying for citizenship, a reasonable Japanese level is expected during the interviews conducted by the Ministry of Justice. Plus, Japanese formalities and traditions require some of the aforementioned documents to be handwritten in the language, like the statement of purpose.
What can you do if your application is rejected?
There is not much information on why an application may be rejected, so you should contact the Legal Affairs Bureau for inquiries on that matter.
What benefits does Japanese citizenship have?
One of the central benefits of having citizenship in Japan is that you can get a Japanese passport. According to the Henley & Partners Index, the passport of the land of the rising sun can get you into 192 countries without the need for a visa. It shares the second place on the list of most powerful passports with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and is only surpassed by Singapore. You can check our articles on some of these countries on this same website.
Once you have your citizenship, the process to get the passport is relatively simple: you submit a form that you can download on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site, together with some additional documents like photos and proof of residence. Its price ranges from around $75 to $110.
Talk to an immigration expert
Unless you have Japanese parentage, naturalisation will be your go-to method to get citizenship, which means having lived five continuous years in the country. To do so, you will need to be a permanent resident or to have a working visa at least.
Given that job offers are your best shot at becoming an expat in Japan, at Relocate.me we specialise in connecting professionals with employers. You can start by browsing our job board, where we feature job ads from employers willing to help candidates relocate.
With our help, you can get in touch with both immigration consultants and companies that are searching for foreign talent. Once you get that sought-after job offer, your road to building a life in the Asian country will be much more smoothed over.
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