Becoming Japanese

So you've decided to run for public office Good for you. Here is what you'll need. There are three minimum requirements which will concern you: You must be a Japanese citizen. You must be 25 yrs. old. You will need access to ¥300,000 in cash. There are other minor requirements, but my guess is if you were cleared to become a citizen, you need not worry about them. I'm talking about no ties to the yakuza, criminal record and other negative influences on your life. The following are requirements more of a personal nature and my opinion only. These requirements are more based on observation and my own experience. You will need: Communication skills: I'm guessing your conversation skills will be considerable. Of concern is your reading and writing. Being able to read a substantial number of kanji is highly recommended. Junior high level will probably be a minimum. Illiteracy will not stop you from getting elected, as long as someone in your circle of sup...

licensed from iStock Japan has a procedure called 国籍選択 { kokuseki sentaku } (Choice of Nationality). It was created with the revision of the Japanese nationality laws to address the issue of involuntary multiple nationality acquisition by Japanese — usually those who are minors that received citizenship from a new world country in the Americas such as the United States via jus soli (nationality based on where you were born, sometimes called "birthright nationality"): Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians, for example. However, it can also apply in other circumstances, such as if you acquire another nationality involuntarily (meaning, you did not directly apply for it or naturalize) — such as through marriage to a person from a country that does not separate nationality with marriage (called jus matrimonii ) or religion. It can also happen when somebody acquired citizenship after birth due to the revision in the Japan Nationality Law in 1985 that allowed people to...