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Hi Blog. While doing some research for my upcoming SNA end-year column, I found this interesting article from 2018 that deserves highlighting. An important estimated statistic follows about the possible number of dual nationals in Japan (close to one million). And also the fact that those dual nationals in Japan are probably under no credible threat of losing one citizenship.
International couples with dual national children in Japan, take note: Do not let your children sacrifice one side of their identity merely for the sake of bureaucratic convenience, especially when they don’t have to. Debito Arudou, Ph.D.
(PS: Note how little the debate has progressed since dual nationality in Japan was proposed back in 2009!)
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What does Japan’s Nationality Act really mean for its dual citizens?
Subtitle: Given the present “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude of the Justice Ministry, it would be highly unusual if Naomi Osaka was forced to relinquish her U.S. citizenship at the age of 22.
BY CORY BAIRD AND SAKURA MURAKAMI
The Japan Times, Sep 19, 2018 (excerpt)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2018/09/19/how-tos/japans-nationality-act-really-mean-dual-citizens/
How many Japanese citizens hold multiple nationalities?
The Justice Ministry confirmed to The Japan Times in April that some 890,000 are in a position to be dual nationals, according to data from local municipalities from the years 1985 to 2016. This number includes those who have declared or forfeited Japanese citizenship, as well as those that are assumed to have multiple nationalities based on their birthright.
Has anyone been stripped of their dual nationality by the Japanese government?
There have been no reported instances of dual nationals by birth having their citizenship revoked.
In April, the Justice Ministry confirmed to The Japan Times that the justice minister had never issued a warning to a dual citizen by birth to decide upon one nationality, meaning that no such dual national has ever been stripped of their Japanese citizenship under Article 15 of the Nationality Act.
This lack of enforcement is a fact that Okuda says is often overlooked.
“For athletes like Naomi Osaka, the newspapers write under the impression that she must choose a nationality,” he said, “but many people do not know that (the Justice Ministry) has never warned people (for not declaring one nationality), although in the past the Justice Ministry has reportedly mailed the children from international marriages a notification about the obligation to declare one nationality.”
However, for those who have naturalized to other countries, there have been a few reported cases of citizens being stripped of their Japanese passport.
The Nationality Act states that Japanese citizens who naturalize to a foreign country will automatically lose their Japanese nationality upon obtaining foreign citizenship.
Full article at https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2018/09/19/how-tos/japans-nationality-act-really-mean-dual-citizens/
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1 comment on “Good 2018 JT article on Japanese Nationality Law. Upshot: Don’t give up NJ citizenship after naturalizing into Japan”
This is absolutely correct. As a naturalized Japanese national who has openly been a dual US/Japanese national for more than a decade and experienced zero problems related to dual nationality, I can confidently state that it is not necessary for dual nationals (including naturalized Japanese nationals) to renounce/relinquish US nationality in order to keep Japanese nationality. There are no penalties, adverse dispositions, etc. under Japanese law for not renouncing/relinquishing US nationality.
My advice is to stop reading fearmongering websites making baseless claims of “administrative denaturalization” or “unilateral cancellation/annulment” of Japanese nationality due to having the nationality of another country and instead read the Nationality Act (国籍法) of Japan for yourself.