Becoming Japanese

In a lot of the articles on this site, I have mentioned the system involving rooms for interviews, the call-in-advance for appointments with case officers, the assigned case officer (one for paper collection and one for when you're close to submission and the interview), that I experienced at the 法務局 { hōmukyoku } (Legal Affairs Bureau) 国籍課 { kokusekika } (Nationality Section) in 九段下 { Kudanshita } , which is located in central Tokyo. So far, the people who have done the process recently at the same office within recent years have confirmed that the process and protocols were pretty much the same for them? But what about places outside of metro Tokyo, which has a population of over 35 million? One would think that one may get by without the waits or appointments in a relatively rural area of Japan, but I've been surprised by reports from readers and others who have reported a much looser system with respect to applying compared to Tokyo, even in mega-cities/regions lik...

The vast majority of people that naturalize will probably apply for a "red" Japanese passport after their 戸籍 { koseki } (family register) is created — which takes about a couple weeks followed by a few weeks for the passport to be issued. It is not necessary to apply for a passport. Just like the United States, the vast majority of the populace never actually travels outside of their country for their lifetime. However, realisticly speaking, it's very likely that a naturalized person would have a Japanese passport as they most likely have family ties overseas. Language The passport is in two languages: English and Japanese. Very old passports, similar to my U.S. passport, also had French, the language of diplomacy. My oh my, how the French empire's influence has faded. My last U.S. passport added Spanish. My oh my, how South, Central, and Latin America's influence has increased! ☺ On current Japanese passports, the message from the Minister of Foreig...

If you've looked into naturalization, you've probably heard the horror stories. Digging through your refrigerator to make sure you've got miso and 漬物 { tsukemono } (Japanese-style pickles) and Japanese beer. Reviewing your kids' toys to make sure they're learning Japanese before any other language. Calling your friends to make sure… well, I was never quite sure what they were supposed to ask your friends, but they do ask for an address and phone number for one neighbor. The 家庭訪問 { katei-hōmon } (home inspection) is required for most applicants who are not 特別永住者 { tokubestu-eijūsha } (special permanent residents). Although you will occasionally hear of someone who did not have to go through it, you should be prepared to have your home and neighborhood inspected at some point after submitting the paperwork. I have no doubt that the process is different for everyone. Some people may not have to deal with a home inspection at all, and whoever reported...

No. The naturalization process for Japan doesn't have a formal written cultural or ethnic "assimilation" or "like" requirement. It does sometimes have a basic-level Japanese "language" requirement, but this requirement is born from the rule that an applicant be able to demonstrate that they can earn a decent living in Japan — "decent" being not wealthy or rich, but not likely to need government welfare or likely to end up in poverty. The modern Constitution of Japan enshrines a person's freedom of expression and the freedom to lawfully assemble and protest. These rights were inspired by the same rights in the U.S. Constitution. The laws created and the supreme court judgements related to this Constitutional right (Articles 19 and 21) can be argued by legal scholars as being slightly more limited than the U.S. (for instance, with respect to libel and slander), but broader and more open than the freedom of expression allowed by other d...

The form used to record your entrances and exits to Japan is normally the 履歴書（その２） { rirekisho (sono ni) } (personal history form part 2). On that form is a space entitled 出入国歴 { shutsunyūkokureki } (country exits & entrances) （最近　年間） { (saikin    nenkan) } (last    years). Your case officer will tell you how many years you will need, however, it will be either five (5), three (3), or one (1) year, depending on whether you are 普通帰化 { futsū kika } (regular naturalization) or you're entitled to 簡易帰化 { kan'i kika } (simplified naturalization) which lowers the continuous physical residency test. There are five columns. From left to right, they are: 回数 { kaisū } (number) This is pre-completed with numbers running from 1 to 10. 期間 { kikan } (period of time). They want the year-month-dates, in 和暦 { wareki } (Japanese era-years). 日数 { nissū } (number of days). Partial days count as one day each 渡航先 { tokōsaki } (destination). Just the ...

The actual application form for naturalization, called 『帰化許可申請書』 { "kika kyoka shinseisho" } , similar to a Japanese-style resume, has a place for a photograph in the top right corner. You will need two identical photos for both the original and the copy of the application. You do not need any type of special fancy "visa / passport photographer", though you probably won't be able to get by by taking a self-portrait with your mobile phone, a bathroom mirror, and an inkjet printer. You can use any automatic self-portrait "photo booth," which are ubiquitous in Japan, especially near train stations. They normally cost anywhere from ¥400 to ¥700 and the machines usually provide two or four photos which can be cut from a single print. At least two of them will be in the proper dimensions for the photograph: 5cm × 5cm. It can be B&W or color. The photo should be of you from shoulders up with your entire head visible. Your face should be uno...

Previously, I mentioned what happens when airport officials inside Japan look at the Japanese passport of someone who is not "typically" Japanese ; that is, a Japanese passport holding person who is obviously not racially Asian/Japanese. My experience so far: usually nothing. They barely blink. Individual experiences may vary, but I pass through immigration in Japan and overseas about at least two times a month (sigh), so I've had at least fifty opportunities to experience something strange with my new passport so far. If there is a reason for my not getting singled out more often, it's not because I haven't had enough chances to test the system. But what happens when you go overseas? So that can sometimes be interesting. None of it can be described as traumatic or disturbing or inconvenient, though I have had a few seconds of my life wasted that I would like to have back. Here are ten amusing stories (they are not in any particular order) related to me s...

Starting today, the old 外国人登録証明書 { gaikokujin tōroku shōmeisho } (Alien Registration Card, aka "ARC", sometimes called "Gaijin Card") will no longer be issued. Instead, a new 在留カード { zairyū kādo } (Residence Card) will be issued in its place. New immigrants to Japan will be issued these cards starting today, and existing aliens will either voluntary exchange their old ARC for a new Residence Card anytime before the expiration of their current ARC . Additionally, similar the local resident registration will cover both Japanese and foreigners (before the foreign registration was completely separate), and foreigners will have a registration card ( 住民票 { jūminhyō } ) that is similar, though not identical (matters related to one's "foreign country" such as status of residence, passport details, and county of origin, are recorded on the alien's version) to a Japanese citizens. In order to make this site as up-to-date as possible, I will be go...