Becoming Japanese

A person from the internet sent in this question to this site asking how a divorce from a Japanese national affects application for naturalization. It took me a while to get the answer to this question, as I have no direct experience with this. I finally managed to have a lunch with my contact at the MoJ, who gave me an easy answer. In my particular case, being married for over ten years to a Japanese reduced my "continuous residency requirement" from five years to a mere one year. Being married for this length of time also reduced the requirements, including residency (again to just one year), for permanent residency — which is not a prerequisite for Japanese naturalization. Divorce from a Japanese national does not negatively affect your chances for naturalization to Japan. It may indirectly affect your chances depending on how the divorce affects your livelihood (meaning your assets and your income), but the event taking place in your past does not affect the six ...

"Naturalize and become a Japanese!" It's been a while since I've written about a source of information on the internet that was incorrect. This next entry is unusual in that it comes from a source that should be reputable: a lawyer/consultant specializing in Japanese immigration. On the page titled "I want to become a Japanese national" written by the Tokyo Immigration Service (Immigration Solicitor 佐藤正巳 { MASAMI Satō } ), the following is written under "1. Duration of Stay": You are required to have a valid visa ( Status of Residence ) from the Immigration Bureau of Japan at the time of application and you must have been living in Japan for at least 5 years. Also the bureau confirms whether you have been living in Japan at least 80% of the 365 days every year. The time spent on a Student visa cannot be counted in this 5 year period. This isn't exactly true: all valid continuous 在留資格 { zairyū shikaku } (Status of Residence; SoR)...

According to the 官報 { kampō } (Official Gazette [of the Japanese Diet]), "Living Treasure" Donald Keene acquired Japanese naturalization on March 8th, 2012. At a press conference held at his home (!), he commented, 「待ちわびていた知らせ。うれしく思いました」 { "Machiwabite ita shirase. Ureshiku omoimashita." } ("This is news I've been waiting for. I'm pleased.") Like most people that get naturalized in Japan, he received the news via telephone from a case worker. Professor Keene, who has received numerous awards from both the U.S. and Japan, decided to acquire Japanese citizenship soon after the east Japan tsunami and earthquake disaster. The process only took about four months, which is a bit on the fast side compared to most applicants, who normally take anywhere from over a half a year to sometimes over a year. Some people speculate that his advanced age (89) and his indisputable contributions to Japanese society may have contributed to the speed of his pr...