Taking the Oath

Once you have collected all the paperwork, and the public servant / case worker assigned to you determines that everything is in order, you will then be given the oath paperwork to sign and date (two copies). Compared to other countries, the oath is very simple and commonsense. There's no mention of the emperor, protecting Japan from its enemies, serving in the military, references to religion, or other non-Constitutional or law references with the exception of "being a good citizen."

Here's the text of the oath, in full:

宣誓書 {senseisho}

私は、 {watashi wa,}日本憲法 {nihon kempō}及び {oyobi}法令を守り、 {hōrei o mamori,}定められた義務を履行し、 {sadamerareta gimu o rikō shi,}善良な国民とzenryō na kokumin to}なることを誓います。 {naru koto o chikaimasu.}

Translated into English, this means:

Oath Statement

I swear to obey the Constitution of Japan as well as its laws and ordinances, fulfilling the established duties, and become a good citizen.

(There's only one "duty" — Article 30 — currently in the Japanese Constitution, by the way, and that's paying taxes. And sorry, non-Japanese are not exempt from that duty. Nor are you exempt from the tons of duties and responsibilities imposed by the associated laws and ordinances. There is also an "obligation" to work according to Article 27, and an obligation for Japanese children to get an education according to Article 26)

To compare, this is the oath statement for people naturalizing into U.S. citizens:

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

The Japanese Oath Statement, for the sake of completeness, has been put in the Docs & Forms page of this blog (along with the unofficial English translation), for reference.

However, the Oath Statement is only presented to you when you have completed all of the paperwork gathering and your case officer has determined that it is complete enough for formal submission. You cannot complete the Oath Statement in advance nor will they give you the copies in advance because it must be dated and signed — with the 活字 {katsuji} (block print) 仮名 {kana} (Japanese syllabet) or 漢字 {kanji} (Japanese ideograph) version of your name — in front of your case officer, who serves as the only witness. You are not required to raise your right hand, repeat the oath verbally, or anything else. It's an order of magnitude simpler than signing a contract for a home loan.

For Americans, this document serves as one "catalyst" or "potentially expatriating act" that allows you to relinquish your American citizenship, fulfilling one of the U.S. tests.