Naturalization Application Manual: book review

There aren't too many books out there about naturalization to Japanese. All of the ones I've found are written in Japanese (of course) and are often written from the perspective of teaching a Japanese person working for a legal service on how to advise a non-Japanese for the naturalization process. Most of the good ones are written by those who are in the visa/naturalization business and have had experience advising non-Japanese on how to naturalize. This is one of those books.

Title
日本国籍取得ガイド {Nihon kokuseki shutoku gaido}
(Japanese Nationality Acquisition Guide)

帰化申請マニュアル　完全版 {kikashinsei manyuaru kanzenban}
(Naturalization Application Manual Complete Version)
Author
前田　修身 {MAEDA Osami}
ISBN
978-4-88399-120-4
Publisher
すばる舎 {Subarusha}
(Subarusya)
Editions
1st edition: 2001-Apr-25
2nd edition: 2004-Jun-13
List Price
¥1,600 (+ tax)
Mr. Maeda runs his own law office, titled 国籍問題研究所 {kokuseki mondai kenkyūsho} (Nationality Problem Research Center). He has been a legal scrivener since 1968 and has been licensed to provide visa and immigration advise since 1990 and 1994 respectively. During his time at the Ministry of Justice, he worked in the nationality section (国籍課 {kokusekika}) of the Legal Affairs Bureaus (法務局 {hōmukyoku}) in 松山 {Matsuyama}, 名古屋 {Nagoya}, and 東京 {Tōkyō}. in addition to doing pro-bono work at the legal support bureaus and immigration hotlines at various institutions.

Even though I have been through the process and I was able to find most of the information online, there was a lot of information in this book that isn't online, complete with practical advice and examples and situations that I didn't find easily on the net. My case worker didn't offer this information to me either, probably because it didn't apply to me. The sections that I found to be fresh and interesting were:
  • a sample model of a 動機書 {dōkisho} (motivation essay) written by a mock Korean naturalizing to Japanese, which includes a summary of the things you should include:
    • your past
    • the present
      • your motivation
      • your current living status
      • your family's living status
    • the future
      • your future goals and dreams
      • Japanese society and you
      • showing strong desire to be naturalized
  • What to do if you're rejected and what to revise for the next time you apply
  • Possible troubles after naturalization
  • Laws with respect to representation for minors seeking naturalization (for Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea)
  • Things to watch out for what you turn in your paperwork
    • Must present the papers in person (no representative or legal substitute)
    • The amount of time it will take to process the papers
    • Fingerprints
    • Never, ever, lie or write something false on the application
    • Things you shouldn't forget when visiting the legal affairs bureau
    • making sure your taxes are fully paid
    • following the previous advise/instructions given by your case worker exactly
  • Making sure your living expense outline total balances out with your income
  • If you use a legal scrivener, how much you should expect to pay and what you should expect in terms of limitations
  • Common problems and situations
    • What the legal scrivener can and can't do for you during the process
    • What to do when the income source name doesn't match with your name (sample case: employed South Korean women)
    • Things to be careful about: 『掛紙 {guà zhǐ}』 ("attached papers") which is auxiliary attached notations to Taiwanese family registers that don't appear in official issued copies (sample case: Taiwanese woman homemaker)
    • No paperwork proving parents marriage (sample case: PRC single female office worker)
I also enjoyed the brief history it gave regarding political events in various countries (such as Taiwan and China) which affected the laws and processes for Japanese naturalization.

The book is rich in diagrams and example paperwork, and thus is easy to skim; you can read just the parts that are of importance to you without worrying about needing to read it from cover to cover. If you're going to naturalize, it wouldn't hurt to invest a little money into a book like this.

I purchased my new paperback book from Amazon Japan, but you can also order a copy directly from Mr. Maeda via his office through FAX: 03-3985-4947.

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