Becoming a Japanese citizen and in return relinquishing another citizenship can me a high price to pay for many. It should come to no surprise that not many Americans are willing to relinquish their American citizenship for a Japanese Citizenship though it does happen. Many of the people that apply for Japanese citizenship are those of Japanese descent while some are American and have chosen to make Japan their home country.
For the people that have spent the better portion of their lives in Japan will very likely have family, bought a home, and many of their friends are Japanese; so to relinquish the person’s original citizenship may not be such a great concern.
In return for becoming a Japanese citizen you will receive a Japanese Passport. This means when you leave and travel around the world you will be treated as Japanese in the eyes of the law. For foreigners that have lived in Japan it will be nice to no longer need a SOR or an alien registration card. You will no longer need to apply for a re-entry permit if you wish to leave Japan. By becoming a Japanese citizen you will now have a Family Registry and also a Residency Certificate which will be important if you wish to have a family in Japan.
Note: Without the Family Registry, a foreigner will not be able to register a child as their own.
However by law becoming a Japanese citizen you must relinquish any other citizenship you may have. This is a result of Japan not allowing dual citizenship. For many this may not be an option and Permanent Residency may be a better option if you wish to keep your original citizenship.
Thankfully once you are a Japanese citizen you will no longer have to worry about being deported if you break the law. Just don’t go breaking the law for the fun of it; Japan’s police are more powerful than in America. Jail in Japan is much harsher - so keep that in mind.
Note: For those that choose to stay in Japan and do not wish to become citizens I would advise against having kids. Without the Family Registry the kids by law are not considered yours if you get divorced while a foreigner. I cannot go into a deeper explanation at the moment but, Japan is considered a safe haven for Japanese families to prevent the foreign parent accesses to their children.
So will you become a Japanese citizen? For me, I must say that it will be a hard choice. Without a family in Japan the answer would be a quick no but on the other hand if I did have a family that was Japanese then I guess I would have to cross that bridge when I came to it.
