Problems of Japan's Dual Nationality

So what do you think? Should Japan allow dual citizenship and why?

My son was born in Japan. His Mum is Japanese and I am English. We moved to New Zealand and after being there for 3 years I applied for citizenship. I thought that we may as well apply for my son as well. He was 6 at the time. Later, the Japanese consulate in Auckland refused to renew his Japanese passport as he had chosen to give up his Japanese citizenship by taking NZ citizenship. My wife explained that we didn't know the consequences of this and my son, now 16 would rather keep his Japanese citizenship as he always considered himself Japanese. The consulate refused our request because he had 'chosen' to give up his citizenship at age 6! We feel terribly guilty that our son now virtually considers himself stateless.

I’m Japanese who living in the US, I left Japan when I was 18, now I’m 63 and have my own family here. When I was younger, lots of times I was asking myself “who am I, Japanese or American?” But I stopped asking myself, because I realized it’s a fruitless question just goes round and round and never gets answered. I just concluded it’s ok to not have an answer. However I think at legal point of view it’s a very different question must be answered . It’s about inheritance, property, taxes etc and safety at foreign lands. Every time when I flew back from Japan, I find myself very awkward feelings. I joked with my friends that I care about how much taxes I pay than what going on in Japan. But my mother is in Japan, who gave me a life and raised me. For this very reason til har passing, I decided to keep “ red passport “ After all, maybe I’m still very Japanese….I don’t know the answer yet.

I'm Australian, and for most of my life so far, if a person with Australian citizenship later took up the citizenship of another country, then under our law they automatically forfeited their Australian citizenship. Meanwhile, because we're a high-immigration country, we could see millions of people come here, eventually take up Australian citizenship, and still get to retain their previous citizenship as well (if the laws of their country of previous citizenship allowed it). Such an arrangement obviously privileged immigrants over native-born Australians, and the law was eventually changed in 2002 to allow Australian citizens to similarly acquire a second citizenship without losing their first.

In 2015, I met a 19 years old guy working in a Kamakura hotel with Japanese and French parents, who told me that he had to choose between Japanese and French citizenship. I don't know which one he chose, but it was hard for him to 'discard' half of who he is. Since I have French and Canadian nationalities, I find it horrible.

It’s pretty much “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation regarding dual citizenship. One of my coworkers was born in the US to a white American father and a Japanese mother. He has and still keeps/uses both US and Japanese passports and haven’t gotten any trouble with Japanese authorities yet. He’s in his late 20s, lives in the US and goes to Japan almost every year, only shows his Japanese passport when he’s over there.

My son is Japanese and American and when I was registering him for his US citizenship and looking up information on the US consulate. I learned that the US government's position is that Japan cannot force a US citizen to revoke their citizenship. It is an interesting case where a lack of agreement or treaty between the two creates the grey zone.

There's a loophole to this issue, especially if your other country recognizes dual citizenship. Just choose Japanese citizenship, then do nothing after that. You are under no legal obligation to inform the other of your choice to pick JP

Maybe because Japan historically isolated itself for a very long time from the rest of the world, the traditional mentality is so different . Being from Europe, I've always known a lot of children with 2 passports growing up. And when people with 1 passport start tracing back family names, they often realize that maybe 200-300 years ago the family came from a neighboring country. So the populations of individual countries where never homogenous like in Japan.

Another point. Many elder people don't want to allow dual citizenship. These elder people vote and the politicians are afraid to offend them. Until these elder people either change their minds or die the system will not change. I think the younger generations are okay with dual nationality.

I'm not half but full japanese going from japanese to US citizen. The immigration has double standards. Everyone who works behind the counter implement his or her own guidelines. I was told pick one or the other not both. I said US. They told me your issued gaijin card. My brother who is retired US Navy was given both. My mom just became US citizen and she was surprised to be treated like a foreigner for a visit to go home. I hope they work on this matter more effectively and quickly to help out the dual citizen japanese.

Just a point about Japanese students referring to Americans in America as foreigners. I taught a large number of Chinese students in Canada and the same thing happened- I was referred to as a foreigner in my own country. Just something to consider.

I have dual citizenship because in Poland even if you're born in another country the government considers you Polish as long as someone in your family is Polish and can prove it. So for example if your Grandmother is Polish but you're born in America you're still considered Polish in the eyes of that government while still keeping your nationality from the other country. It's strange that Japan refuses to adopt a similar approach.

Thanks for making a video about this important issue. I am half Japanese and will leave Japan soon. The visa procedures are a pain for my long term plans, and restrict my freedom as I can’t just leave Japan to go to my home country without consequences. Given the population decline it does not make sense to hold onto an outdated law from 1899 without proven disadvantages.

This is going to be a problem for Japan since their popuplation is shrinking. If they don't start making changes now and just keeps kicking this issue to the future then the time will come when it will be too late.

Your English is getting really good, Nobita!

Thank you for collecting all this information and producing this video. I think it's a very important topic. My son has German and Japanese citizenship at the moment. He's 6 years old and was born in Japan but we live in Germany now. Interestingly in his Japanese passport he has my husband's (Japanese) last name. My husband and I used the special rule to keep our respective last names when we got married in Japan before my son was born. My son has my last name on his German passport and German birth registration entry. So technically he'd need to choose a nationality when he turns 20 years old and his last name too. I find it really sad that this Japanese law exists because he'd allowed to keep his dual nationality by German law. I wish for him that the Japanese law is changed in the future before he turns 20.

Japan government has no way of knowing whether you retain your old country's passport.

That's interesting. I'd heard you can't have dual citizenship in Japan, at least as a US citizen.

Having similar pushback with family about getting Mexican citizenship as a US citizen. Why do want another citizenship? Isn't that greedy? lol