Becoming Japanese

The original Japanese ... translates roughly to the following: Dear ______________: Regarding Procedures for After Naturalization Those who have naturalized must complete the following set procedures within the designated time periods: ☑ Notification of Naturalization You must complete a Notification of Naturalization Form and submit it to either the Ward/City Office of your current residence or your new registered domicile within one month from the day of your naturalization (Nationality Law Article 102, part 2) Those who do not may be subject to a fine. You should have received a "Proof of Naturalization Identification" from the Ministry of Justice. You will need this in addition to the Notification of Naturalization form. ☑ Return your Alien Registration Card You must return your Alien Registration card within 14 days from the day of your naturalization. (Alien Registration Law Article 12) Those who do not do so in time may be subject to a fine ...

This may not be the most helpful blog post in the history of mankind, since my first attempt to renounce my US citizenship today was more or less a failure...but since there seems to be a real lack of concrete information and personal experiences out there ( Debito's is the only thorough account I've been able to find publicly available, and it's eight years old by now), I figure that "What not to do" may help some of you...at least more than nothing at all will. The US Embassy's webpage is, in my humble opinion, ridiculously difficult to navigate. It takes a good four or five clicks from the main page (assuming you don't take any wrong turns along the way) to find information like the address, operating hours, and the fact that apparently you are now required to make an appointment for citizen services. Don't worry, though, apparently (though it's not written anywhere on the website), renunciation doesn't fall into the same category...