Becoming Japanese

Not necessarily part of a healthy diet in Japan I first started this website for two reasons: The first reason was that after I naturalized, I received a lot of the same questions over and over about acquiring Japanese nationality, especially from non-Japanese, both living in Japan and living abroad. Some questions were good. Others, not so good. Some from strangers, some from people I know. Rather than re-answer the same questions over and over from people that barely passed as acquaintances, I compiled a list of as many questions, along with answers , that I could think of and referred people to this site for longer answers. I also made a list of steps that a typical applicant has to take to try to demystify the process to those that wondered if the process was systematic or arbitrary. The second reason I made this site was because after I had gone through the process and talked and met others who had gone through the process, I was amazed at how much outright false info...

The Japanese Constitution begins "We, the Japanese people," The Japanese Constitution uses the word "people" a lot in the official English translation where the official Japanese version says 国民 { kokumin } (Japanese national). I've heard conspiracy theories on the Internet that claimed that this was Japan's sneaky way of changing the Constitution from the unaware Occupying Forces who had a significant hand in designing and writing the Constitution by basing it on various Constitutions and legal documents of the world. (When Japan made its first Meiji Constitution, it also evaluated existing overseas supreme laws to craft its own first Constitution) To make things more confusing, the Japanese language version of the Constitution occasionally translates "people" or "all people" more closely to 何人 { nanbito } (everyone). Generally speaking, the high courts of Japan consider the Japanese language version of the Japanese Constitut...

Once you have collected all the paperwork, and the public servant / case worker assigned to you determines that everything is in order, you will then be given the oath paperwork to sign and date (two copies). Compared to other countries, the oath is very simple and commonsense. There's no mention of the emperor, protecting Japan from its enemies, serving in the military, references to religion, or other non-Constitutional or law references with the exception of "being a good citizen." Here's the text of the oath, in full: 宣誓書 { senseisho } 私は、 { watashi wa, } 日本憲法 { nihon kempō } 及び { oyobi } 法令を守り、 { hōrei o mamori, } 定められた義務を履行し、 { sadamerareta gimu o rikō shi, } 善良な国民と zenryō na kokumin to } なることを誓います。 { naru koto o chikaimasu. } Translated into English, this means: Oath Statement I swear to obey the Constitution of Japan as well as its laws and ordinances, fulfilling the established duties, and become a good citizen. (There's only on...

It doesn't say much. It basically says that naturalization is a non-trivial procedure, and the papers you need vary per person and you should make an appointment to talk with them directly. This is what their only webpage looks like: トップページ { toppu pēji }  →  行政手続の案内 { gyōsei tetsuzuki no annai }  →  国籍関係手続 { kokuseki kankei tetsuduki }  →  帰化許可申請 { kika kyoka shinsei } 帰化許可申請 { kika kyoka shinsei } (Applying for Permission to Naturalize) 手続名 { tetsuzuki-mei } (Procedure Name) 帰化許可申請 { kika kyoka shinsei } (Applying for Permission to Naturalize) 手続根拠 { tetsuzuki konkyo } (Procedure Foundation) 国籍法第４条第２項 { kokusekihō dai-yon-jō dai-ni-kō } (Nationality Law, Article 4 Paragraph 2) 手続対象者 { tetsuzuki taishō sha } (Procedure Applies to) 日本に帰化しようとする外国人 { nihon ni kika shiyō to suru gaikokujin } (Aliens attempting to naturalize to Japan) 提出時期 { teishutsu kikan } (Submission Period) 随意 { zuii } (Voluntary) 提出方法 { teish...

After your first visit to the Bureau of Legal Affairs, you'll probably be given a colorful, six page foldable pamphlet. Here's what the cover looks like: 帰化による { kika ni yoru } 日本国籍の取得 { Nippon kokuseki no shutoku 申請手続のご案内 { shinsei tetsuzuki no goannai } 法務省民事局 { hōmushō minjikyoku } Simple enough translation: Acquiring Japanese Citizenship by Naturalization Application Procedure Information Ministry of Justice, Civil Affairs Bureau Look at the smiling blonde businesswoman and how happy she is! Naturalization looks easy and fun! Are you excited? I am! Let's turn to page two! Let's go!