Do you become a "subject" of the Emperor when you naturalize?

For those naturalizing to Japan that come from republics, the thought of linking yourself legally to a state that has a monarch, even a "mere" constitutional one, may feel strange or uncomfortable. Are you a "subject"?

The TL;DR answer for Japanese nationals: No.

A "republic", such as France or the United States, is a sovereign state that lacks a monarch. In many republics, their formation occurred after the explicit rejection of a monarch based government. However, just because a government has a king or queen or emperor or empress and is therefore not a republic does not mean that everybody is a "subject".

As a general rule of thumb, when sovereignty lies with a royal family, emperor/empress, or a king/queen, the people of the country are referred to as "subjects". When sovereignty lies with the national People, they're usually called citizens.

(The United Kingdom, another constitutional monarchy, currently has both citizens and subjects. The complicated topic as to who is a British subject and who is a British citizen and why is defined, but won't be covered here due to scope)

All Japanese nationals, both natural-born and naturalized, are citizens under the modern Constitution. This is because the very first article of the Constitution explicitly spells out that sovereignty lies with the People (capital "P", meaning national citizen), not the Emperor, and defines modern Japanese nationals as "citizens" (国民 {kokumin}) / "the People", not "subjects" (臣民 {shimmin}):
Chapter Ⅰ: The Emperor
Article 1: The Emperor shall be the symbol of the State and of the unity of the People, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power.

第１章 {dai isshō} 天皇 {Tennō}　
第１条 {dai ichi jō} 天皇は、 {Tennō wa,}日本国の象徴であり {Nippon-koku no shōchō deari}日本国民統合の象徴であつて、 {Nihon kokumin tōgō no shōchō de atsute,}この地位は、 {kono chii wa,}主権の存する {shuken no sonsuru}日本国民の総意に基く。 {Nihon kokumin no sōi ni motozuku.}
This is very different from the previous constitution, known as the Constitution of the Empire of Japan (大日本帝国憲法 {Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kempō}) or more commonly as the Meiji Constitution (明治憲法 {Meiji Kempō}). In that constitution, Chapter 1, Article 4 declares that the sovereignty of Japan lies within the Emperor:
Chapter Ⅰ: The Emperor
Article 4: The Emperor is the head of the Empire, combining in Himself the rights of sovereignty, and exercises them, according to the provisions of the present Constitution.

第一章　天皇
第四条　天皇ハ国ノ元首ニシテ統治権ヲ総攬シ此ノ憲法ノ条規ニ依リ之ヲ行フ
In the Meiji Constitution, Japanese people are explicitly referred to as "subjects" (臣民 {shimmin}) (ex. "Rights and Duties of Subjects" / 臣民権利義務) throughout the document, as opposed to "citizens" (国民 {kokumin}) in the current document.

A modern Japanese regular (red & blue) passport refers to the bearer as a Japanese National (『日本国民』 {"Nippon kokumin"}) by the "Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan" (日本国外務大臣 {Nippon-koku gaimu daijin}), and there is no mention of the Emperor anywhere in it.

Also, when you naturalize, there is no mention of the Emperor in any of the documents you sign, and the main oath you sign is to swear to obey the modern Japanese Constitution and its laws and be a good citizen. No pledge of allegiance to the Emperor or anybody else is required.

So yes, when you naturalize, you get to say that your country has a royal family with an Emperor. And he is your Emperor. But he is merely a symbol of Japan's unity according to the Constitution — which you do sign an oath (宣誓 {sensei}) to — and he gets his position from the will of Japan's citizens / People, which now includes you.

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