Tokyo District Court upholds ban on dual citizenship

Still a few hundred years ahead of its time in Japan, this kind of thinking.

The age to decide is 20, not 22. And the authorities do turn a blind eye when turning in a renewal application for the Japanese passport, even though the section asking you if you have another is highlited and in red. The bureaucrats say never mind and give it the ok. Dealt with it three times in the last 7 years. I know about the system.

"Tokyo District Court upholds ban on dual citizenship"

A wise and just decision. Well done!!!!

"The government argued there was no national interest in permitting multiple citizenships"

Exactly. A man should have one and only one country.

Well, except when it is convenient, or for someone "famous," such as tennis player Naomi Osaka who still has not renounce her US citizenship as she said she she did over a year ago.

“Japan is one of around 50 countries internationally, including China and South Korea”

both examples in the neighbourhood and barely democratic.

So what are the other 48?

Bye, the dream of being a world’s financial hub.

“Japan is one of around 50 countries internationally, including China and South Korea”

both examples in the neighbourhood and barely democratic. 

So what are the other 48?

47... Japan, Korea, China...

This is a dilemma faced by all parents of mixed race kids. My daughter is 16 and we have received letters from city hall about her dual citizenship.

The unwritten/unspoken "rule" is that you don't have to tell anyone you have dual citizenship.

These plaintiffs, with their Swiss and Liechtenstein citizenship, sound like what they really want is a tax haven (and still have their cake and it eat too).

Naomi Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father but raised in the United States.

Enjoy that Haitian citizenship, Naomi. LOL.

Denying the existence of children from international parents.

It’s simply the fear of losing its culture.

That’s why kids still have to learn to propel themselves over a bar at kindergarten, and learn to ride a unicycle at Elementary school. It’s meaningless and there are much better things they could be spending their time doing, but it’s part of the culture here and getting rid of it for something more ‘modern’ just can’t be done.

When you think how much nonsense exists here just because of tradition, it’s easy to see why dual nationality would never be allowed.

The authorities can't strip a Japanese national of a passport for anything less than treason, and they can't force a dual citizen to surrender a passport that's the property of a foreign government. Catch 22. You have defacto dual citizenship, whether the authorities recognize it or not.

This, they need the passport holder to renounce to his Japanese nationality.

There is a lot of dual citizenship of Japanese just not on radar.

Exactly. A man should have one and only one country.

The world would be a better place without narrow minded nationalisms.

And as usual Japan proves itself to be a backward regressive nation. No surprises there. MoveOn

Japan is one of around 50 countries internationally, including China and South Korea, that only permits its citizens to hold one nationality.

That is completely and totally incorrect. False news. South Korea has allowed for dual citizenship since 2008. And the rule is if you live and work in South Korea for five years you are automatically qualified for citizenship. If you’re married to a South Korean and live in South Korea for two years you can get citizenship.

The world would be a better place without narrow minded nationalisms.

Oh absolutely. That is exactly what’s holding Japan back and keeping it a backward country. Most of the Japanese people I’ve met here are decent good people. It’s just the racist government and their right wing sock puppets that ruin it for everyone else

My kids are born in Japan, have an irish passport and a Korean mother.

Can they get a Japanese passport?

And do they have to change to a Japanese name?

There are hundreds of people with dual passports. Leave on the Japanese one arrive in your other country with that one. No penalty for not declaring. Famous people and those who highlight themselves may have a problem.

Yeah I’m very well aware of that. A couple of years ago, a few LDP lawmakers were found to be in breach of that and had held US citizenship. The LDP and their supporters are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites

What a backward thinking country. The lack and refusal to advance the country towards better human standards is baffling.

They argued that the rule was a violation of the constitution's right to pursue happiness and protection of equality under the law.

The plaintiffs had a weak argument- no wonder they lost the case.

The world would be a better place without narrow minded nationalisms.

This isn’t a matter of nationalism. It’s about the rule of law. The weak enforcement of the law is a straw man argument against it. There is no world government and it would be oppressive to the diversity of the human species if there were. Not all nations have be the same in the way they do things - it would boring if they did.

Why not make it the Citizen of the World.

Be productive, live, die wherever you please.

Tennis star Naomi can't even count the fingers on her hands in Japanese. She should keep the American passport.

Well, if she was being truthful, that passport would have been shredded by now. But who knows, hey?

buchailldanaToday 05:11 pm JST

My kids are born in Japan, have an irish passport and a Korean mother.

Can they get a Japanese passport?

And do they have to change to a Japanese name?

No. they cannot get Japanese citizenship (and therefore a passport) at this stage.

Citizenship in Japan is confirmed through one or both parent's Japanese nationality.

It is not granted as a "birthright,"

However, if they stay in Japan until they are 20 years old, they can take Japanese citizenship.

Compared to many countries (Canada, Indonesia, Australia, China) it is inexpencive and quite easy.

Why does a children have to choose only a country, a culture, a parent?? Why?!??

You answered your question in the first part

Racism, narrow mindness and specially stupidity beyond all logic.

Hawaiian means one of 50 states citizen north new continent, but nationality that sounds like Haiti citizen, which is a small state off Central America, thats too local a term for East A.

“Japan is one of around 50 countries internationally, including China and South Korea”

both examples in the neighbourhood and barely democratic. 

So what are the other 48?

Actually that is incorrect. South Korea is not one of those countries- As you can see, Japan keeps really good company..

Countries That Don't Recognize Dual Citizenship

There are numerous countries that do not recognize dual citizenship. These countries are not confined to specific continents but are found across the globe. Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Botswana. Bhutan, Oman, Malaysia, and China forbid dual citizenship. However, some countries may offer exemptions. For example, in Azerbaijan, the President may offer dual nationality to people of special importance as deemed by the office of the presidency. 

In the Congo, Djibouti, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Monaco, Singapore, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, one automatically loses citizenship upon acquisition of citizenship of another country. 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-that-don-t-recognize-dual-citizenship.html

Hitoshi, if you feel “emotionally attached to Japan” and you find retaining Japanese citizenship is “the foundation of my identity”, then just give up your Swiss one. It’s that simple.

Well, except when it is convenient, or for someone "famous," such as tennis player Naomi Osaka who still has not renounce her US citizenship as she said she she did over a year ago.

How does one renounce something other than saying they renounced it? Isn't it just about the words, after all?

There should be an exception for children born with 2 nationalities.

There are not responsable for the situation and you can't ask them to choose between their father and their mother.

How does one renounce something other than saying they renounced it? Isn't it just about the words, after all?

Not for Americans. The application fee alone will be a couple thousand dollars. In Naomi's case, they will try to relieve her of half her assets. It's a virtual Iron Curtain. The US is unique among nations in that they own a piece of you wherever you are, and you have to pay for your freedom.

@ buchailldana

My kids are born in Japan, have an irish passport and a Korean mother.

No Problem , they are Irish

Can they get a Japanese passport?

No, they have no entitlement to a Japanese PP

And do they have to change to a Japanese name?

Whatever "Name" is on their Birth certificate will be the name on their PP

Here's the twist with Dual nationality . When a person reaches a pensionable age and lives outside the Euro Zone countries , which pension are they entitle to ? My ex Japanese wife thinks she is entitled to both as she is a double PP holder.

For someone obtaining another citizenship voluntarily, that is the choice they made.

The problem is Children that obtain dual by birth, most civilised countries have an exception for these situations.

The main exception to the rule in Japan is those that have dual from birth and the other country does not permit giving up citizenship (and yes there are such countries), the other are certain countries where by marrying one of their male citizens the wife automatically becomes a citizen. And yes such places do exist and as far as I know it applies only to women and not a man marrying a woman from those countries.

And to clarify someone's comment, adult is 20 years old in Japan but born dual have until 22 to make their decision.

Thanks for the advice

What's the big deal? Make a choice! Do you feel more Japanese than German/French/British etc.? If so, change citizenship. If not, don't! Not hard, is it?

I think the issue is more to do with practicality than patriotism. A number of study suggest that people of dual/multiple citizenship are likely to contribute more to the local they reside (away from the other or birthplace) such as tax payment and community development.

Dual citizenship would be able to draw more talents from overseas. It's funny and ironic that Japanese media and officials tend to count Japanese born talents holding foreign citizenship as Japanese, such as Nobel laurate scientists Shuji Nakamura and Yoichiro Nambu (both Americans).

Though reform is necessary, it's a job for the legislative branch.

My quick idea is that people would be able to hold two/more citizenships but must always choose one "activated" as the primary citizenship and keep the rest suspended unless they switch to another or lose the primary (let's say "1.5 citizenship"). For the (re) application process in many countries including Japan are very time-consuming, costly and strict. The plan goes in the middle ground, might be acceptable to chauvinistic "Japan first" groups :)

Do you feel more Japanese than German/French/British etc.?

It's only a choice if you include Japan in the list. You shouldn't have to choose which one are you. Imagine having parents of different nationalities, you grew up in combined cultures, loved both countries and somehow you are forced to choose one?

The government argued there was no national interest in permitting multiple citizenships, Kyodo news agency reported.

Japan is still stuck in the 18th century groove...

To be honest, I think this case was only rejected because they sought compensation. While dual citizenship is not permitted in Japan, Japan typically doesn't enforce it at all because they understand the benefits of keeping their citizens.

Aly RustomToday  05:12 pm JST

Yeah I’m very well aware of that. A couple of years ago, a few LDP lawmakers were found to be in breach of that and had held US citizenship. The LDP and their supporters are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites

Please providea link. Which LDP lawmakers held US citizenship? Would really like to know.

Of course. In essence, people in Japan try to use courts to win what they can't win in the legislature, not understanding what constitutionality really means. To be fair, people in Hong Kong try to do the same, but at least things aren't completely structurally rigged in Japan (it is rigged some, with some rural voters having more voting power than average, but at least it isn't as bad as some of our functional constituencies...)

It is one thing to say that dual citizenships are a good idea or to legislate to permit it by law. It is another to say that a country is not permitted to forbid dual citizenship, no matter what. That's what unconstitutionality really means, and that's why most constitutionality challenges fail - it is a very extreme position to take, and extreme positions tend to lose.

The government likely doesn't want to see the influx of foreigners getting Japanese citizenship but on the other hand, because of this restriction, lots of foreign entrepreneurs simply choose other countries for their own company.

THE　WAR　can STILL happen between countries unfortunately. IF you have kids who're young and healthy , , holding the citizenship of both opponents, what would you do? 　Not　to mention, China, South Korea, your kids are under conscription law. It's not just the issue of your resident's cards pals. WAKE UP! OR appeal the same to such countries like North KOREA

As a half and half, English/Japanese, I choose to relinquish my UK passport.

I did not renounce my British culture, when a push comes to a shove, I had to make a choice.

One day in the future, times will chance, they always do, and I might be able to obtain duel nationally.

That day will come.

rejected their suit and request for damages, a spokesman said, upholding the constitutionality of the rule.

They should not be requesting damages fastest way for the courts to so no.

As soon as they turned this into a money grab it was destined to fail.

SandyBeachHeaven wrote The age to decide is 20, not 22.

Nope! It is 22. Article 14 of the Nationality Law reads as follows:

A Japanese national having a foreign nationality shall choose either of the nationalities before he or she reaches twenty two years of age if he or she has acquired both nationalities on and before the day when he or she reaches twenty years of age or, within two years after the day when he or she acquired the second nationality if he or she acquired such nationality after the day when he or she reached twenty years of age.

its All about taxes and retirement money. Every country wants their due. With duel with US, you get a foreign earned income up to a certain amount. Japanese do not when working abroad. Plus taxes are higher in japan. But within a year the US will raise taxes again to be more online with japan. Thanks Biden

Getting dual citizenship by birth and by naturalization are handled differently. Japan turns a blind eye to people who got dual citizenship by birth and kept them after age 22. However, Japan is very strict and harsh on people who naturalized. After acquiring Japanese nationality by naturalization, if you don't give up the other citizenships or if you give up them and then get another citizenship later, they enforce the law and revoke the Japanese citizenship. I know people who lost Japanese citizenship after naturalization because of getting another citizenship even though they tried to keep it as a secret from Japanese government. Some of them were caught and stripped Japanese citizenship when people who know them informed the officers.

The constitutionally 'protected' concept of happiness is very blurry. A different result of this case would have been encouraging but very surprising. Many aspects of this society are rooted in hostility towards anything that's even partially foreign. Allowing dual citizenship would mean a step towards embracing diversity, something I can't see happen here any time soon.

Duncan, that's scary

You can have multiple citizenship in Japan. For example, Brazillians, there is no way they can renonce their Brazilian citizenship.

Now, there is a form, when applying for Japanese citizenship, it reads:

"Here, I declare that my Japanese citizenship takes precedence over my other citizenships".

An gives 5 (five) lines to state what other citizenships one has. My daughter has 3 other citizenships.

That is probably to prevent tax and other laws from taking an effect, she would be a Japanese. In the worst case scenario, my daughter, an Australian citizen, if there is a war with Australia and she gets drafted, can't say "I can't go into war against my country".

The government argued there was no national interest in permitting multiple citizenships

Well a good counter to that is Ireland.

Some may not be old enough to remember this but at one point Ireland was pretty much one of the poorest countries in Europe.

It tried many schemes to build business, promote new business, attract investors, etc...

It hit on a jackpot by making getting citizenship if one could prove that even one parent, grandparent or great grandparent was Irish.

This brought loads of America, Canadian, even Australians and New Zealanders to rush and get Irish citizenship and brought investment, new businesses, etc... As they looked for a quick and easy way into the EU market.

I know because it was the reason my uncle decided take his company into the EU via Ireland as soon as he got his Irish citizenship despite never having set foot there before.

So Japan wants business, foreign investment, their are plenty of rich Americans, Canadians, Australians, of Japanese ancestry just 2 or 3 generations removed that would possibly think about investing in Japan if they felt some connection without risking their present citizenship.

Some of them were caught and stripped Japanese citizenship when people who know them informed the officers.

I don't think anyone informed on them.

Under agreements places like the USA, Canada and I think also the UK, if you have more than one citizenship you must enter and leave using their passports.

Basically a Canadian/Japanese must enter Canada and leave using their Canadian passport doing otherwise is illegal.

The same for the USA/Japanese or any other country.

So your Japanese password is never registered as having entered the USA or Canada so when you return to Japan and they scan your passport they know it wasn't scanned and now they start asking questions.

Welcome to the modern age of IC chips.

Dual. Not duel. Add in a 7.65% tax rate for FICA and SECA. Median average USA, tax rate is approximately 30%. Which does not include state. county taxes.

Why does a children have to choose only a country, a culture, a parent?? Why?!??

Because people that hate you and your way of life could freely travel to your city to change it into a city that no longer tolerates your values. Why would you want that?

Interesting. Well, less japanese and foreign children , that's all.

I don't think anyone informed on them

I hate to burst your bubble, but it's very common.

Can they get a Japanese passport?

Buachaill dána, athbhliain faoi mhaise duit.

Jus sanguinis means that fugitive criminal Alberto Fujimori could, but your kids can't. Arguably they're much more Japanese than Alberto is. Japan refused to extradite him, but he got scooped in Chile and extradited home to Peru, where he's still behind bars.

This reminds me of people taking NHK fees to court, but on a much more personal scale.

These guys were in the right, but sticking their heads out just got them whacked.

How does one renounce something other than saying they renounced it? Isn't it just about the words, after all?

To renounce US citizenship, you must go in person with the passport from another country to a US embassy or consulate outside the US and sign before a consular officer an oath or affirmation that you intend to renounce your citizenship. Then you submit the official paperwork and must pay fees.

The names of all persons who have renounced US citizenship are listed in the Federal Register.

Naomi Osaka's name is not listed.

If she had renounced here citizenship, she would not be allowed to reside or work in the US since she would not have a visa. People who renounce their US citizenship cannot get a resident visa (green card).

Naomi Osaka could not have renounced her citizenship because she continues to reside in the US.

Japan needs to be more balanced on dual citizenship laws. They need to make a list of countries that are close alliances and stable enough to agree to dual citizenship. US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia off the top of my head for example. In case of any illegal activity commited on Japanese soil by a dual citizenship holder can be renounced depending on the nation of birth. If it is a Japanese born citizen then renounce their ability to hold dual citizenship... if it is a non Japanese born citizen then judge them according to J-law (ugh, but when in Rome...) then renounce their dual citizenship and send them packing to their country of origin depending on the severity of their crime.

Easy what you do is if you have dual citizenship and you are traveling when you go outside of Japan to the other country simple just use your JP passport when you arrive in the other country show that passport. When you go outside of the other country show that passport when you arrive in JP show your JP passport!! Done!!!

The government argued there was no national interest 

There is the interest of individual human beings... but what would that count for eh.

Japan is group-oriented, culturally...

...a dual citizenship holder can be renounced depending on the nation of birth...

> > If it is a Japanese born citizen then renounce their ability to hold dual citizenship...

Birthplace has nothing to do with Japanese citizenship. Japan is a jus sanguinis nationality country, not a jus soli nationality country.

Also, switching passports doesn't work. There will be no stamps to show travel and airline travel records include passport information.

Loyalty to one country is the way to go ... many dual and multiple citizenship individuals use it for nefarious purposes.

I, for one, have asked the United States of America (U.S,/USA) to enact a law prohibiting more than one citizenship and passport.

Hang in there. Just give it a few more centuries, and things will start changing here.

"Actually that is incorrect. South Korea is not one of those countries- As you can see, Japan keeps really good company.”

 

A

bit economical with the truth, aren’t we?

 

Let us check it, shall we?

 

"https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/"

Probable, yet highly restrictive; so restrictive the vast majority of those lauding it would not want it any way.

forced to have a Swiss passport? Really? What an amazing blessing in disguise!

Moreover it was the court's decision to see what the harm it would be, and blinked.

If you are born in the US you are only allowed 1 citizenship unless you were born in a country that allow dual citizenship. Then you can have 2 passports.

I believe having 1 citizenship and a permanent resident status somewhere is simpler.

”You cannot serve 2 masters.”

authorities in Japan have been known to turn a blind eye to dual nationals in some circumstances.

It's not a blind eye,. The article writer was not so knowledgeable on this matter. Bo Japanese born human has ever had their citizenship revoked for not giving up their second citizenship.

And it's not illegal to have dual citizenship for those born with it, they just have to declare an intent to forgo the other citizenship. There is requirement to follow through, nor any penalty for not doing so.

Does that sound complicated, and full of loopholes and grey areas? Welcome to Asia.

If she had renounced here citizenship, she would not be allowed to reside or work in the US since she would not have a visa. People who renounce their US citizenship cannot get a resident visa (green card).

Why would she renounce her American citizenship? She's already satisfied the legal requirements of Japan in declaring an intent to do so. There's no timeline in which she must do it. So she'd be stupid to give it up for no reason other than some posters on the internet being whiny about it.

Naomi Osaka could not have renounced her citizenship because she continues to reside in the US.

I seriously doubt she did.

If dual-citizenship were constitutional, how about triple and quadruple citizenship? Slippery slope?

The situation is silly. Japan has tons of people with dual nationality and it is completely legal. If you had dual nationality before 1985, you still have it. And it is legal. Seeing as how all the legal dual nationals have not destroyed Japan or broken the system, it makes no sense that people born after 1985 cannot be a citizen of multiple countries. Stupid and arbitrary.

It’s a moot point anyway. Well at least for half children anyway. Because if, say for example, a child is born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American father, the child would be entitled to both nationalities. The Japanese government cannot make someone relinquish a foreign nationality acquired at birth and Japan will not strip a Japanese national of their own citizenship. Naomi Osaka was put into a corner and she publicly had to make her intentions clear. What’s so special about a mixed race athlete in America? Nothing. In Japan? Everything. I just feel sorry for her because she doesn’t look Japanese and barely speaks the language.

I just feel sorry for her because she doesn’t look Japanese and barely speaks the language.

I don't look Japanese, and I didn't speak the language when I came. Yet, I've done well in the country, and learned to speak the language. She's doing better than I am already, and is learning to speak Japanese. Not sure why you'd feel sorry for that. Japan has turned into the land of opportunity for her.

Strangerland

Why would she renounce her American citizenship? She's already satisfied the legal requirements of Japan in declaring an intent to do so. There's no timeline in which she must do it. So she'd be stupid to give it up for no reason other than some posters on the internet being whiny about it.

What in the heck are you talking about? She was required to affirm Japanese citizenship by renouncing any other citizenship or she would no longer be a Japanese national.

That is what the entire article is about. You have some significant cognitive difficulties to not understand that.

She made public announcements in 2019 that she was renouncing her US citizenship. She is claiming to be Japanese now, but she is not. She relinquished her Japanese citizenship by not fulfilling the requirement of renouncing US citizenship within ONE YEAR after her 20th birthday.

These are facts and cannot be disputed. The people calling themselves journalists are ignorant of facts and too lazy to check them.

zichiToday  12:19 am JST

"You should carry both valid passports (U.S. and Japan) at all times when traveling to/from the U.S. The dual citizen must present the Japanese passport when going through Japanese immigration and the U.S. passport at U.S. immigration. You do not need and should not register for ESTA."

https://jp.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship-services/dual-nationality/

Great. That's for people under the age of 20 who have dual citizenship.

The only problem is that Japan DOES NOT ALLOW dual citizenship for adults.

Naomi may have had a loophole when she had to choose, but under ordinary circumstances, US citizens looking to renounce their citizenship will pay a pretty large processing fee (about $3000) and if memory serves me correctly, 30% exit tax on assets over $3m. I think up to about 10-15 years ago, you just walked into your local US embassy as an earlier poster stated, and there was no fee nor tax until several wealthy people did this to dodge taxes.

Naomi may have had a loophole when she had to choose, but under ordinary circumstances, US citizens looking to renounce their citizenship will pay a pretty large processing fee (about $3000) and if memory serves me correctly, 30% exit tax on assets over $3m. I think up to about 10-15 years ago, you just walked into your local US embassy as an earlier poster stated, and there was no fee nor tax until several wealthy people did this to dodge taxes.

America - land of the free. Unless you want to leave. Then you gotta pay.

Naomi Osaka lied. She did not renounce US citizenship.

She is not listed in the Federal Register, as all people who renounce US citizenship are.

She would not be living in the US if she had renounced US citizenship.

Read the article above titled: "Japanese District Court upholds ban on dual citizenship"

Peeping_TomToday  12:02 am JST

"Actually that is incorrect. South Korea is not one of those countries- As you can see, Japan keeps really good company.”

 

A

bit economical with the truth, aren’t we?

 

Let us check it, shall we?

 

"https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/"

Your link is dead

but like you said

Let us check it, shall we?

Individuals automatically receive South Korean nationality at birth if at least one parent is a South Korean national, whether they are born within the Republic of Korea or overseas.[6]

Foreign permanent residents over the age of 20 may naturalize as ROK citizens after residing in South Korea for more than five years and demonstrating proficiency in the Korean language.[7] The residency requirement is reduced to three years for individuals with a South Korean parent who were not already ROK citizens,[8] and two years for applicants with South Korean spouses. This is further reduced to one year for applicants who have been married to South Koreans for more than three years.[9] Minor children cannot naturalize independently, but may apply with a foreigner parent who is also naturalizing.[10] Successful naturalization applicants are typically required to renounce their previous nationalities within one year, unless they naturalized through marriage. Individuals who are granted nationality by the Ministry of Justice specifically for their exceptional occupational ability or contributions made to the country are also exempt from this requirement. Exempt individuals must alternatively make a declaration not to exercise their foreign nationality within South Korea.[11]

Naturalization was exceptionally rare until 2000; the average number of foreigners acquiring citizenship from 1948 until that point was 34 people per year. Since then, this rate has sharply increased. The cumulative number of naturalized citizens reached 100,000 in 2011[12] and 200,000 in 2019.[13]

South Korean nationality law - Wikipedia

Please providea link. Which LDP lawmakers held US citizenship? Would really like to know.

I've been googling it but can't find link to be honest. I remember that there were around 2, and at least 1 of them was female. This occurred after the whole Renho fiasco, which was why it was news in the first place. I read about it here on JT, but I can't seem to find a link to the story, but I just got to work now. I'll keep looking when I have free time and I will inform you when I find something.

Please providea link. Which LDP lawmakers held US citizenship? Would really like to know.

Here you go. Sorry it took so long.

Kimi Onoda discovered to have not done the "Choice of Nationality" properly | Becoming legally Japanese (turning-japanese.info)

"Your link is dead"

OK; try this one instead.

"The Republic of Korea (South Korea) has long described itself as a “homogenous and united country” or “unitary race” (danil minjok gukka), so citizenship has been defined in terms of bloodlines rather than birthplace (Choi 2014, 97; Shin 2006, 18). This mindset persists in some quarters, but South Korean attitudes towards citizenship have changed in recent decades. Most respondents in a 2010 survey agreed that “South Korea must become a multicultural and multiethnic society instead of a united and homogenous state” (Joongang Sunday, March 23, 2014). In 2013, meanwhile, the Asan Institute detected a shift from a “blood-based” definition of citizenship, towards one based on “cultural competencies” such as knowledge of the Korean language and history (J Kim 2014, 99). This attitudinal shift is also evident in the constitution of South Korean society. The number of foreign residents was 2.18 million in 2017. The foreign population equated to 4.2% of South Korea’s total, as opposed to just 3.1% in 2013 (KIS Statistics 2018, 38).1

Residency, however, does not lead automatically to citizenship. Of the 227,000 people who have attained South Korean citizenship since 1948, about three-quarters have done so through marriage. In 2017, two-thirds of these “marriage migrants” were from China and Vietnam, with China being the single-biggest source (37.1%). A significant portion of Chinese migrants were ethnic Korean (Chosunjeok)."

"An increasing level of ethnic diversity is thus evident in South Korea as a society, but not necessarily as a political community. That is, South Korea’s willingness to host people of different ethnicities has been stronger than its willingness to accept non-Koreans as citizens. Public opinion polls reveal that most South Koreans – predominantly the young and those with higher levels of education – favour easing restrictions on foreign workers. They are comfortable with living around foreigners and accept that non-ethnic Koreans can qualify for citizenship (Hundt 2016, 487). A consistent counter-trend, however, has been that older people and those with lower levels of education are opposed to or uncomfortable with, the changes that immigration necessitates (see Hundt 2016, 500)."

"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472336.2018.1504111"

As previously stated behind the facade of modernism it's probable, yet so restrictive the vast majority of "supporters" would not want to have it once they know the full implications of obtaining it.

"South Korean nationality law - Wikipedia"

Wiki is anything but a reliable source of information as anyone can edit and post anything they like.

Far too many hours spent at the Uni library carrying out research, plus a continuation during my professional duties, taught me never to rely on Wiki sources.

Speaking for myself, I am used to accepting the notion of dual citizenship, and it does not bother me.

It is interesting to read that China does not allow the practice, since a lot of Chinese obtain dual citizenship with the USA, so they can come and go as they please. That was part of the problem with Trump's ban on Chinese travel to the USA back in the winter of 2020. He banned Chinese citizens, but not dual citizens, so over 40,000 Chinese/Americans traveled to America and dispersed all over the country. Once again, Trump displayed his ignorance, as well as his xenophobia.

As for Koreans, I would assume that many of them also obtain dual citizenship with the USA, although I have never asked. Where I live, in South Cal, there are very large Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, and other Asian minorities, and it seems to make things better here overall. The mother of Tiger Woods is from Korea, and the mother of Kamala Harris is from India. I would say that most of the people I know are either immigrants or the child of an immigrant. That is not strictly speaking what the article is about, but does speak to the issue of accepting multi-cultural and multi-ethnic thinking.

Naomi Osaka lied. She did not renounce US citizenship.

Naomi Osaka has never claimed to have renounced it. How could she have lied about that?

Read the article above titled: "Japanese District Court upholds ban on dual citizenship"

The author doesn't appear to have been entirely clear on how the law works in Japan.

Frankly you'd find it more productive than making unfounded accusations about Naomi Osaka lying.

I've tried to enlighten the poster multiple times, but even after teaching them the law here, the poster keeps repeating the same inaccuracies.

"The mother of Tiger Woods is from Korea,"

She's from Thailand.

The Republic of Korea (South Korea) has long described itself as a “homogenous and united country” or “unitary race” (danil minjok gukka), so citizenship has been defined in terms of bloodlines rather than birthplace (Choi 2014, 97; Shin 2006, 18). This mindset persists in some quarters, but South Korean attitudes towards citizenship have changed in recent decades. Most respondents in a 2010 survey agreed that “South Korea must become a multicultural and multiethnic society instead of a united and homogenous state” (Joongang Sunday, March 23, 2014). In 2013, meanwhile, the Asan Institute detected a shift from a “blood-based” definition of citizenship, towards one based on “cultural competencies” such as knowledge of the Korean language and history (J Kim 2014, 99). This attitudinal shift is also evident in the constitution of South Korean society. The number of foreign residents was 2.18 million in 2017. The foreign population equated to 4.2% of South Korea’s total, as opposed to just 3.1% in 2013 (KIS Statistics 2018, 38).1

Residency, however, does not lead automatically to citizenship. Of the 227,000 people who have attained South Korean citizenship since 1948, about three-quarters have done so through marriage. In 2017, two-thirds of these “marriage migrants” were from China and Vietnam, with China being the single-biggest source (37.1%). A significant portion of Chinese migrants were ethnic Korean (Chosunjeok)."

"An increasing level of ethnic diversity is thus evident in South Korea as a society, but not necessarily as a political community. That is, South Korea’s willingness to host people of different ethnicities has been stronger than its willingness to accept non-Koreans as citizens. Public opinion polls reveal that most South Koreans – predominantly the young and those with higher levels of education – favour easing restrictions on foreign workers. They are comfortable with living around foreigners and accept that non-ethnic Koreans can qualify for citizenship (Hundt 2016, 487). A consistent counter-trend, however, has been that older people and those with lower levels of education are opposed to or uncomfortable with, the changes that immigration necessitates (see Hundt 2016, 500)."

"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472336.2018.1504111"

As previously stated behind the facade of modernism it's probable, yet so restrictive the vast majority of "supporters" would not want to have it once they know the full implications of obtaining

NONE of the above claims or proves that SK does not have dual citizenship. It does.

South Korean nationality law - Wikipedia"

Wiki is anything but a reliable source of information as anyone can edit and post anything they like.

Far too many hours spent at the Uni library carrying out research, plus a continuation during my professional duties, taught me never to rely on Wiki sources.

My original source was not wiki but the world atlas.

Here it is again. As you can see SK is not included in the list because they have had dual citizenship since 2008.

Countries That Don't Recognize Dual Citizenship

There are numerous countries that do not recognize dual citizenship. These countries are not confined to specific continents but are found across the globe. Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Botswana. Bhutan, Oman, Malaysia, and China forbid dual citizenship. However, some countries may offer exemptions. For example, in Azerbaijan, the President may offer dual nationality to people of special importance as deemed by the office of the presidency. 

In the Congo, Djibouti, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Monaco, Singapore, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, one automatically loses citizenship upon acquisition of citizenship of another country. 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-that-don-t-recognize-dual-citizenship.html

Park2014_Chapter_WhoBenefitsFromDualCitizenship.pdf

10.3 South Korea’s new nationality law and dual citizenship policy Owing to rapid economic development since the late 1980s, labor shortages have been one of the urgent issues faced by the South Korean economy. The influx of foreign workers consequently transformed South Korea from a labor-sending to a labor-importing country. In response to increasing migrants and the growing social problems like declining birth rate, South Korea has been introducing remarkable changes into their immigration and citizenship policies since the mid-1990s (Lee et al., 2006; S. Lee, 2005). These changes have also aimed to attract more migrant workers to stay permanently and to prevent Korean nationals from renouncing their Korean citizenship. The primary goal of these policy changes is to promote economic development while alleviating social problems. The revision of the Nationality Law in May 2010 (effective since January 1, 2011) opened the door to dual citizenship. It was the latest development in this series of changes made to immigration policies and related legal structures,4 including providing immigrant workers and foreign investors with easier access to the Korean economy, and allowing more overseas Koreans to work and stay in South Korea. With regard to overseas Koreans, the Kim Young-Sum administration initiated the New Policy for Overseas Koreans in 1993, which led to the establishment of the Globalization Project Committee in 1995 and the Overseas Koreans Foundation in 1997 in an attempt to strengthen ties between overseas Koreans and promote their rights and interests, as well as participation in the country’s development.5 The succeeding Kim Dae-Jung administration introduced the Overseas Koreans Act in 1999, which granted partial Who Benefits from Dual Citizenship? 195 citizenship to overseas Koreans.6 Policies that also cover non-Korean immigrants include: the Foreign Industrial Trainee Program, which started in 1991; successive Employment Permit Systems (EPS)7 from 2004 onward; the Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea of 2007; abolition of the Family Registry Law with the patrilineal family system, which was replaced by the Law on the Registration of Family Relationship in 2008;8 and the Multicultural Family Support Act of 2008.9 Among these policies, the EPS and the Overseas Korean Act were important steps in extending, albeit partially, the scope of citizenship before the introduction of the New Nationality Law of 2010. What these policy changes show is an orientational shift in South Korea’s policy since the 1990s to actively utilize migrant labor rather than control them to ensure social cohesiveness. The New Nationality Law of 2010 is characterized by: (1) the relaxation of requirements for the naturalization of competent immigrants; (2) the relaxation of the obligation to give up a foreign nationality upon naturalization (limited acceptance of dual citizenship); (3) the acceptance of dual citizenship based on a pledge not to exercise their foreign nationality inside the country; and (4) the prohibition of expatriation without completing military service. The New Nationality Law allows holding dual citizenship for immigrants upon naturalization to South Korea

My kids are born in Japan, have an irish passport and a Korean mother.

Can they get a Japanese passport?

And do they have to change to a Japanese name?

Unless one parent is Japanese, they can't get Japanese citizenship, except through the usual methods of getting Japanese citizenship by interview, checks, and other things. Japanese government doesn't recognize automatic citizenship by location birth. At least in your case, they can get an EU passport and maybe Korean passport while in Japan.

If you are a person of dual nationality,

please make the choice of your nationality!........There are no exceptions

http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/information/tcon-01.html

My business demands probity in even sphere, no ducking and diving.

I had to make a decision it is as simple as that.

I have given my word, when starting the business, a word of honor to investors that there considerable investment capital for the outset would be safe in my hands. To obey the rules, not only in business, buy personally in life.

This has built trust, and subsequently huge investment to grow the business

Redbear

"The government argued there was no national interest in permitting multiple citizenships"

I see the attraction of multiple passports for those who get it, but the court is correct here: There is no national interest in this.

Why should a section of the population have a privilege that others don´t.

Lots of writting attempting not to address the gist of the matter.

For your elucidation, here it is once more:

"behind the facade of modernism it's probable, yet so restrictive the vast majority of "supporters" would not want to have it once they know the full implications of obtaining it."

i.e. you can get it, but there's a lot more to it.

And read the article, not solely the quotatins.

Let's start by asking 99.9% of the population to stop referring to my child as Haffu, based solely on his looks and clear mixed parentage, and accept him as a "full" Japanese.

Then maybe we will consider encouraging himself to declare himself as Japanese.

> Lots of writting attempting not to address the gist of the matter.

For your elucidation, here it is once more:

"behind the facade of modernism it's probable, yet so restrictive the vast majority of "supporters" would not want to have it once they know the full implications of obtaining it."

i.e. you can get it, but there's a lot more to it.

And read the article, not solely the

quotatins

Whatever. I made my point. Fact of the matter is South Korea has dual citizenship and Japan doesn’t. That’s a fact. live with it anyway you want

expatJan. 21  04:48 pm JST

The authorities can't strip a Japanese national of a passport for anything less than treason, and they can't force a dual citizen to surrender a passport that's the property of a foreign government. Catch 22. You have defacto dual citizenship, whether the authorities recognize it or not.

As I understand it this is correct. The Japanese govt ( or any govt) has no authority over whether or not a foreign govt must force a citizen of that country to surrender their passport. Passports are issued by govts. If 2 passports exist eg by birthright, then one country cannot force another country to rescind the passport.

Wipeout also correctly detailed this as well as the notion that nationality cannot be taken away - not in the circumstances under discussion here. A passport is a piece of paper - but a place of registered birthright citizenship remains.

And the Big Joke in all of this is the govts granting of Peruvian president Fujimori Japanese nationality back in 2000(?) knowing full well he held Peruvian nationality. The fact of this case makes all other govt arguments refutable.

Let's start by asking 99.9% of the population to stop referring to my child as Haffu, based solely on his looks and clear mixed parentage, and accept him as a "full" Japanese.

Then maybe we will consider encouraging himself to declare himself as Japanese.

That is an EXCELLENT POINT. If you are going to insist on either you are Japanese or you are not with a 1 nationality rule, then don't turn around and call ANY Japanese national Haffu. Excellent point!

And the Big Joke in all of this is the govts granting of Peruvian president Fujimori Japanese nationality back in 2000(?) knowing full well he held Peruvian nationality. The fact of this case makes all other govt arguments refutable.

Exactly! they harbored a criminal wanted for crimes against humanity just because he had Japanese ancestry and didn't care then about the nationality law.

Not to mention the LDP lawmaker who still had US citizenship while serving. Talk about hypocrisy.

Aly:

Kimi Onoda discovered to have not done the "Choice of Nationality" properly | Becoming legally Japanese (turning-japanese.info)

https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/fwfd87/kimi_onoda_of_the_ldp_feels_foreign_residents_in/

A very nasty person. I have a theory that she was bullied as a child because of her gaijin-ness and to prove that she really was part of the Japanese family, she went gung-ho about going xenophobic, and trying to prove your worth to the Japanese right. Disgusting excuse of a person, and I'm glad she was unsuccessful in her attempts to stop covid financial support to her gaijin half.

Naomi Osaka - perhaps you'd like to concentrate on racial injustices (see above) within Japan than constantly talking about racial injustices in a 'foreign' country. Or is America really foreign to you? Cake, have and eat?

Pukey2

VERY VERY WELL SAID! Agree 100%

now if your point is that SK has not completely warmed up to immigration and don't see immigrants as Koreans the way the west does that's fine. That takes time. Racism and general discrimination exists everywhere. What is important is that SK is slowly dismantling its INSTITUTIONAL racism, and that's a start. But they are moving in the right direction, which is more than I can say for Japan.

behind the facade of modernism it's probable, yet so restrictive the vast majority of "supporters" would not want to have it once they know the full implications of obtaining it."

One could take this quote and apply it even better to japan.

RareReason

Let's start by asking 99.9% of the population to stop referring to my child as Haffu, based solely on his looks and clear mixed parentage, and accept him as a "full" Japanese.

"Haafu" simply refers to appearance, and has nothing to do with nationality. And how the person is accepted by the people around depends on how he/she interacts, language ability, mannerisms etc. This fixation on a word is completely pointless.

A few years ago there was a piece that estimated that up to a million Japanese citizens have dual citizenship. I know several people who do, including my daughter. I spoke to a lawyer about it when she was approaching the age when it is said young people have to decide between nationalities and I was told that there is no agency that enforces this law and he advised to me and my daughter to just to keep quiet like the other million Japanese do. And you know what? That advice works beautifully.

U. S. allows dual nationality . . . I think it helps with international understanding . . . .

I think it would probably be better to have a "suspended" Primary Nationality status which can reactivated upon return. This would allow you to maintain a Bank account within your Country of suspended Nationality, retain properties, and pay local taxes there. And if you became an international Criminal all your suspended Nationalities would become revoked baring your Primary forcing you to return there.

Too much of cherry picking Gaijins here No wonder. Save your claims until your IDEAL world does really exist.

Trust me... everyone has their own view upon an Ideal World ... look at the CCP. The Chinese exec of Hawei - Meng Wanzhou - purportedly had several passports - China only allows its Citizens to hold one... so one rule for the plebs, another for the elites ? There needs to be a common Global acceptance - UN agreed for passports - it should not be a shame to hold more than one, since your lifestyle may dictate it, though only one should be used for travel under, the rest should remain in this suspend state.

My son is on my wifes family book, he has a Japanese passport, he also has a British birth certificate and passport. We haven't told either country about the oher. Our marriage was in japan, we took all the paperwork to theBritish embassy and received a British marriage certificate too. Fully registered on all sides, no problems!

There's some reason for not allowing dual citizenship in most Asian countries. Example,

There are about 50000 thousands of Nepalese in UK, another 50,000 in Australia, US, Canada etc. Most of them are citizenship of where they live. They are fighting for dual citizenship but Government is strongly against it.

Why? Because most of them have lot of lands, houses, business in their country Nepal. These foreign Nepalese people want to have all the things both in Nepal and in foreign land. Isn't that just Unfair for the real Nepalese people who are working in their own country? So either they have to lose their foreign citizenship or their properties in Nepal but never should be allowed dual citizenship.

Stephen Marks

My son is on my wifes family book, he has a Japanese passport, he also has a British birth certificate and passport. We haven't told either country about the oher. Our marriage was in japan, we took all the paperwork to theBritish embassy and received a British marriage certificate too. Fully registered on all sides, no problems

Same here. My sons take advantage of the option since it is there and have 2 passports. But I would have no problem if the 1 passport rule was enforced strictly. One can only belong to 1 tribe, not two (or even more). It is an unfair advantage ... we are no saints, so we take the free money so to say, but I would never encourage them to go through hoops or cheat to get it.

I don't see a downside for Japan to allow people having dual nationality.

Japan appears to be really pushing dual citzens to renounce. I have had dual citzenship for 46 years and have never been required to renounce when filing real estate documents. Currently I am trying to forfeit property to my relatives in Japan and the Kuyakusho is refusing to process these documents unless I renounce my Japanese citizenship. Not sure what one has to do with the other......

first of all word Nationality should not be used for legal purposes, Nationality is in your blood citizenship is the country your life is integrated in to, you contribute to and benefit from. So being a German or a Congolese is your own private issue but having a German citizenship along with the Japanese citizenship regardless if your nationality is German or not is wrong. Citizenship has to do with your rights and obligations and in many ways dual citizenship poses a conflict of interest as well as it is often used to collect the illegal benefits.

first of all word Nationality should not be used for legal purposes, Nationality is in your blood citizenship is the country your life is integrated in to, you contribute to and benefit from.

What you are speaking of is ethnicity. Nationality comes from the word nation, which by definition is a legal term. It can ONLY be used for legal purposes.

@ZvonkoJonathan

There is nothing in your blood like nationality.

I came to Japan few decades ago and it was not my plan to stay here forever, nor I planned to apply for citizenship or so. I am not sour, throw away citizenship and thinkining Japan is the best, etc. But after many years of living here, many things get difficult or nearly impossible without having citizenship (main reason was that I started family here). So I applied for a citizenship and became naturalised. From what I know, becoming naturalised now is easier in comparison to back then. Me and my wife went through several interviews, went here and there, filled impressive ammount of papers. We've got visits by officials to our house several times (few times unannounced). Even my wife's side of the family was questioned about me. Our neighbours were also asked. OK, fine, tough luck. I had to give up my citizenship in order to get Japanese one. They had my financial reports, background, etc. After becoming naturalised, the first thing i've done is I went to my embassy and nulled the renunciation. I've got my previous citizenship back.

I have not come here to collect any illegal benefits nor have I claimed any. And the government knew that. If they make such extensive checks on someone, they should not force them to renounce their original citizenship. Because one may still have family in the original country. If you don't have even a single penny in your bank account, then fine, but then you won't give citizenship to such person. It's not just black and white.

People advocating dual citizenship should be ready to be taxed twice by both countries.

Otherwise, they are simply free riders wanting the benefits or convenience which comes with another citizenship.