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© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Opposition party leader Renho shows legal records to prove nationality
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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thepersoniamnow
Her political enemies are simply trying to use her being half Taiwanese against her.
Basically, that she's not a real Japanese, or that she isn't real Japanese enough.
Yubaru
And in no thanks to the constant reminder of this by this and other media outlets than continue to run unnecessary comments, like these, in news stories. The constant reminder subconsciously reinforces an idea that is becoming more and more outdated.
Even Renho sees the light
There's that word "urge" again. When my son's renewed their Japanese passports they were "urged" to renounce their "other" citizenship's, and that the "urge" sounded more like a threat.
Yubaru
Oh but if you are a sports star, Olympic athlete, or someone who is special, "omotenashi" comes to mind, they are Japanese through and through!
koiwaicoffee
I'm confused about this. Can they really make you renounce the other citizenship's in order to have a Japanese passport?
Yubaru
Technically no, as stated in the article there is nothing illegal regarding holding a second citizenship, however they do make it difficult.
Japan does not officially recognize dual-citizens, it's highly discouraged. There are plenty of people in this country with passports from Japan and somewhere else as well.
thepersoniamnow
Koiwaicoffee
They often will threaten or even refuse to renew your Japanese Passprt if you are holding another one that they know about.
obladi
On the positive side, the fact that the leader of the DPJ is openly a "half" is something to celebrate in and of itself. We know there will be "birthers" here in Japan. But if one day their predjudices are swept aside, what a bright day that will be! These things can happen fast (Think back 8 years Americans..)
Aly Rustom
Very well said. But this Japan is NOT a society where diversity is tolerated and everyone is accepted, and is one that promotes prejudice or forces people to do something.
I think she has accepted that prejudice against people with multiethnic backgrounds exists and that she has to work within the framework.
I think its undesirable if you are running for public office.
Mike L
I'm always amazed that people get their knickers in a twist over stuff like this still.
Can she do her job competently or not? That's all that matters really.
AgentX
Ohhh, you mean the bloodlines that originated from the Asian continent (present day Korea and China)?? OK, got it! I guess somehow that makes you more competent in your work and your educated opinions more valid.
JapanJim
Japan at one time issued a different color passports for those who are not bloodline Japanese. My wife was mixed and it made her very sad!
Laguna
From my experience with my kids, it's a "don't ask, don't tell" situation. NEVER let an immigration official in any country see any passport but the one you're using to enter/exit. They can guess, of course - my kids' Japanese passports only contain entry/exit stamps from Japan, as if they'd just spent a few months circling over Narita - but they'll let it slide if you keep everything quite under the table.
Strangerland
This has been an issue in Australia recently as well, where at least two ministers (that I read about) have had to resign after it was discovered they (unknowingly) held dual citizenship through birth. Their constitution does not allow ministers to be citizens of another country.
Mike L
Laguna - so you have made it clear as day to immigration that your kids have another passport? I'm not sure that is the smartest move. Surely entry/exit stamps for the other country in their Japanese passports would be the best way of "hiding" the other nationality?
All you've done is make it obvious.
Citizen2012
Refreshing to read after all the LDP usual propaganda aired which based on the fear of the difference.
bosphorus
Japan needs more diversity. I would love to see more "half" or completely foreign politicians in the government, and not only from Asia. Hope I can see it happening in my lifetime.
Dukeleto
Which is why, for both my children, and at great expense I hauled everyone over to the UK twice to have them born there. Impossible for them to lose their citizenship of that country even if they gave that passport up! If you think on a genetic level, mixing a stagnant blood line like the Japanese bloodline with another blood line completely unrelated to it such as a European bloodline is only going to be beneficial to the offspring. I see my haafu's only as the beautiful creations that they are. Not better, not worse, just beautiful creations with two cultural back grounds both to be very very proud of.
toshiko
Renho will survive.
plasticmonkey
Japan does not have the authority to force anyone, including its own citizens, to renounce citizenship in another country. At the same time, Japan's constitution protects its own citizens from the government stripping them of Japanese citizenship. Ergo, it is not illegal for a Japanese national to hold dual citizenship, however distasteful it is to the bitter old men in Kasumigaseki.
William77
Japan still live in this pre-WWII era made of esasperated nationalism,the fight for a single island lost decades ago,the sexism culture and the glorified uniqueness of it's own blood.
Japanese people it's time to wake up because 1938 it's long over.
And if I was in Rehno I would have fight for my rights to keep my dual citizenship.
JeffLee
Yeah, technically it is. The Nationality Law states that holders of dual nationality must choose one nationality by age 22. If you don't do that, you are in violation of Japanese law.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/09/14/issues/japans-dual-citizens-get-tacit-nod-keep-status-shadows/#.WW6_24iGPb0
plasticmonkey
I stand corrected.
wtfjapan
Technically no, as stated in the article there is nothing illegal regarding holding a second citizenship, however they do make it difficult. and they cant force people to renounce their second citizenship as it goes against their basic human rights, and this is the only reason they dont make it a law with punishments attached. If the person was born in Japan they can refuse to renounce their second citizenship, the J government certainly cant take away their J citizenship as punishment.
fxgai
She has no choice, if she wishes to succeed has leader of her political party. This is Japan. You can't change it if you have no power.
He said her action could contribute to a feeling that having non-Japanese or naturalized parents is undesirable.
She can't change the law unless she becomes the boss. The LDP geezers aren't going to change anything.
You have to join them first to beat them.
I do wonder if she'd have had such a hard time if she were half-Irish, for example.
Wallace Fred
I don't believe I'm agreeing with the general populace here but duo citizenship removes any sort of accountability towards the duties expected from a government official. Several conflicts of interest may arise in case crisis were to arise between the duo nations. The rule to have officials adhere to one citizenship must and should be rigorously enforced.
yoshisan88
Not ministers. Two senators from the opposition party "The Greens". One forgot to renouce his New Zealand citizenship before election. The other did not even know she had Canadian citizenship cause she left the country as a baby at the age of 11 month. Now they both lost their well paid job.
drlucifer
Fujimori ran away from peru and took refuge in Tokyo and he was protected by the J-gov't
that he was Japanese citizen. How could he be Japanese citizen and be the president of another
country and we know he was above 22years of age.
Why would I even want my children to be Japanese when the typical Taro and Hanako will not recognise
them as Japanese except they are some TV celebrity or sports star.
kohakuebisu
Separating this from the bigger issue of dual nationality, it appears that you cannot be a lawmaker in Japan while having a foreign passport (along with a Japanese one). So she's had to get rid of hers.
The half-American lawmaker from the LDP, Kimi Onoda, had to do the same last year. Apparently she renounced her US citizenship late too, i.e., after becoming a lawmaker, so it became an issue for her too.
Japan is not alone in not letting dual citizens into Parliament, see Australia just this week.
Aside from dual nationality, there is of course the bigger problem of getting people to recognize Renho and hafu like Onoda as actually Japanese. Again this is not exclusive to Japan, look at the comments the tennis player Konta is getting about being British, or even the "Kenya-born" murmurs Chris Froome attracts, but is definitely worse in Japan than in other countries. Renho is Japanese because that the passport she has. Where she was born or the shape of her face or any lilt that might exist in her accent are all totally irrelevant.
szero25
Is it just me or does the Japanese concept of race seem to be grounded in information created by some world war 2 Nazi geneticistYes?
Yes your Japanese, no it doesn't mean you have super powers, and no your not supirior in culture, physiology, or intelligence to any other race.
Yes Japan has its own unique culture, but so does every other country on the planet, this obsession with bloodlines is completely outdated in the 21st century.
The fact that a politician is half Taiwanese makes about as much difference as what her favourite colour is, or her preferences for food.
This has nothing to do with her capacity to do her job.
The world is getting smaller more cultures are intermarrying and people having mixed children, Japan may be an island but it cannot escape from diversity forever, the sooner that people realise you race doesn't make you Japanese the better, and the sooner Japanese people embrace more "foreigners" as Japanese the more diverse and strong the country will become.
Disillusioned
ah, Japan can be so childish! The truth of the matter is, if they really want to get into blood lines, they are all Chinese!
thepersoniamnow
True story...
I'm getting my passport renewed and the lady who presents it to me begins asking me a series of questions such as whether or not I was this person and asking me to declare it verbally etc.
It wasn't a big deal, but then she asked me a question about my family's roots and where my grandparents or something had come from. When I told her I wasn't sure about that she told me (in Japanese of course) that a Japanese person would know that.
I walked back and quite loudly informed her that she was a desk clerk and not someone who decided who is or isn't Japanese. I snatched my passport from her hand, and actually her boss came over and apologized to me for the incident even though she didn't.
Anyways, all that to say that any mixed blood Japanese have to stand up for their rights, cause nobody else will for you.
gogogo
The right person for the job, I hate these dinosaur laws
Mocheake
You will never be considered Japanese so why bother? Bloodlines. What bull!
Mlodinow
Given that Japan provided sanctuary to Peru's Fujimori on the pretext of dual citizenship it seems quite two-faced of Japanese law to prevent her from holding dual citizenship, and of Japanese society to force her to make such a disclosure.
tmarie
This says so much on how Japan views "tainted" blood and how pathetic some older men in power are when they don't get their way.
that person
Meanwhile, Japanese people are always urging me to have children because my ハーフ kids would be so かわいい。
tmarie
Half white and half Japanese are seen as cute. Half anything asian and well, not nice things are said.
AgentX
But they will never be accepted as a 'Japanese'. Nor will their children and so on...
viking68
Politically and culturally it is being played up as if she were a Chinese national and Chinese nationals are invading politics and will change Japanese laws to allow a Chinese invasion.
I can understand the potential perceptions and weakness as a candidate. Who does she really represent?
However, it appears to be getting blown out of proportion.
tmarie
I can understand the potential perceptions and weakness as a candidate. Who does she really represent?
What exactly do you understand? From my point of view, it seems you support xenophobia. How does holding dual citizenship or being bicultural become a weakness? Who does she really represent? Seriously?? Thoughts like yours are why is it getting blow out of proportion.
Strikebreaker555
Is it a common problem not being "enough" japanese to both represent and love Japan on behalf of the japanese population. In the "western world" you'll see people born in Pakistan, being granted either UK or even norwegian citizenship and not seen as a problem to engage in politics. But to emphasize the difference between non-japanese and japanese is just an old fashioned way of conserving the broken concept of an utopian national state
wtfjapan
ah, Japan can be so childish! The truth of the matter is, if they really want to get into blood lines, they are all Chinese! and if you go back far enough our ancestors were all black Africans, the human genome doesn't lie.
thepersoniamnow
Japan is simply a bit more old fashioned and less experienced with dealing with the world than other countries who have had foreigners for centuries. Comparing it to Nazi's and the like is not necessary.
lucabrasi
@Nao
So, blind adherence to the Japanese government's territorial claims is a necessary part of being a loyal Japanese citizen?
Sounds like you'd be well at home in nineteenth century European, stumbling happily on the way to the Great War.
Nao
blind adherence to the Japanese government's territorial claims
I'm not interested in Chinese propaganda.
Yubaru
Japan is not America, just because someone is born here does not give them the right of citizenship. It's more involved than that.
pacint
Agree with Yubaru.
Citizenship is granted based on if a parent is a Citizen, same in my Country.
My country also doesn't allow dual or multiple citizenships, problem for my son.
lucabrasi
@Nao
I'll reword it: Do you think that an unquestioning loyalty to one's government is a desirable, even necessary, trait in a citizen?
Nao
Do you think that an unquestioning loyalty to one's government is a desirable, even necessary, trait in a citizen?
I'm not asking the question to ordinary citizens. Renho could be the pm of Japan if she was lucky and I will hold her accountable for clarification of her nationality.
theeastisred
Their status on both sides (UK, Japan) would have been identical regardless of where they were born, assuming one UK and one Japanese parent. Also if both parents British or both Japanese, it still wouldn't matter where they had been born.
lucabrasi
@theeast
I'm sure I remember, years ago, being told that if my half-Japanese son were born outside the UK, then he'd not be able to pass on his Britishness if his own kids were also born outside the UK.
So it does matter a bit.
theeastisred
luca,
That is correct regarding the next generation. But the original comment was only referring to the poster's children, not grandchildren.
toshiko
USA and Japan are different. But I think Japan should begin anyone who has one Japanese parent should be treated as Japanese. Notice if mother is Japanese and father is not Japanese usually they are not regarded as Japanese. Exceptions exists but extremely rare. In USA, anyone born in USA are just USA citizen. Start from half Japanese who live in Japan as Japanese. Stop discriminating women.
lucabrasi
@theeast
Sure. My boy would have been as British as anyone born there. But an inability to pass along such citizenship would imply a somewhat diminished status.
mulan
OMG. How small minded Japan becomes. 2000 years ago, Japanese could work for Chinese emperor without showing anything, just pass the IQ test. Now Japanese govt is trying everything to deny Chinese influence? How about showing your DNA test? You know the result, don't you?
veejay
Won't do them any good.
They screwed up so bad last time, voters will never forget.
The only chance of a valid opposition is if Miss Koike can mount a valid national opposition party.
Cogito Ergo Sum
@ WTF Japan.
Not so loudly ! Let's all pretend we don't know it. I think disinguinity and duplicitousness was invented in.... you know where.
Strikebreaker555
Would you be regarded as a lesser valued/prominent person or politician in Japan if you were not exactly 100% japanese?:(
Yubaru
Isn't the answer obvious? Yeah they would be, excuse me, YES, they are, but only if they are in positions like hers.
See elected officials have to be Japanese, no foreign affiliations or citizenship's allowed, just like one can not become a koumuin unless they are Japanese too.
But as I mentioned earlier, if the folks are athletes or someone "special" then they are seen as a valued asset to the country.
gogogo
@zichi: Didn't you have to prove you gave up your British nationality about a year later? Under Japanese law you can only hold one nationality if you are over 22 (when you have to decide) but I know several people that haven't but they were Japanese first and then applied for the other country.
tmarie
I will hold her accountable for clarification of her nationality.
Great. Someone wanting to hold Japanese politicians accountable. Can you start with the old men who are running this country into the ground first though?
AgentX
Yep. And there's nothing wrong with that, too. Just as the same as nothing wrong with Japan acknowledging that they are from Chinese/Korean stock. The only difference being that the Chinese/Koreans immigrated to Japan at a, comparatively, recent time in history as opposed to man's deep past.
Frankly, I don't judge a book by its cover. And I don't judge a human by their label.
Nao
No one would've considered this to be problematic as long as Renho played by the rule. Hybrids are not the issue. Her lies and now victim playing is what brings down DP. I haven't heard any sound reasons why she had forgotten her nationality yet.
Simon Foston
NaoToday 01:52 pm JST
"Hybrids." Not a very nice term, is it? Where did you pick it up? I hope you don't use it in actual conversations with any mixed race people.
What evidence do you have that she was lying? How do you know she didn't just make a careless mistake like she claimed?
No, their lack of cohesion, inability to articulate appealing policies and willingness to compromise their principles by working with other parties to bring down the LDP is what brings them down. But I'm sure Abe's stooges in the media and the Diet would like to make a big issue out of this as well. In fact it's all just a stupid distraction.
theeastisred
Tosh:
That was true until the law changed in, I think, 1985. Not true now.
The bigger issue is that if Japan in practice allows dual nationality for adults by the 'back door' approach described by many on this thread, why not go the whole hog and just allow it fully? Removing all the uncertainty and uneasiness. This should certainly apply to the zainichi Koreans and Chinese, and to those born Japanese as well as something else due to their parentage and/or country of birth. For a person naturalising as Japanese from a totally non-Japanese origin, it may be reasonable to ask the person to renounce the other nationality but personally I don't even think that is necessary. And if it is considered that certain positions, such as Diet Member, require Japanese-only nationality, that can be dealt separately, though again I don't think that is necessary.
Nao
"Hybrids." Not a very nice term, is it? Where did you pick it up? I hope you don't use it in actual conversations with any mixed race people.
Ok. Though I don't really see why mixed is better than hybrid.
What evidence do you have that she was lying? How do you know she didn't just make a careless mistake like she claimed?
Renho lied about renouncing Taiwanese nationality when this issue was first brought up. Her status as a Japanese politician itself is based on a lie since she was a Chinese at the time she nominated herself which is against Japanese (and several other nation's) law.
It is hard to believe anyone would make a careless mistake about one's nationality as an adult, and then go on to blame the country for being racist.
their lack of cohesion, inability to articulate appealing policies and willingness to compromise their principles by working with other parties to bring down the LDP is what brings them down.
I'm sure DP lost credibility for a number of reasons, but as long as Renho remains the top, its status will remain unchanged which Abe might prefer.
Simon Foston
NaoToday 06:06 pm JST
You might if you try asking someone with parents from different countries if they're a hybrid. See how they react.
That's not evidence. Where are you getting this idea she lied from? I asked if you had any evidence of her intentionally making a dishonest statement. It does not appear as if you do. Possibly she is lying, but without proof I wouldn't make accusations like that.
Yes, if everyone else believes she's lying like you do. Not if some people give her the benefit of the doubt.
wanderlust
The Yosha Bunko website has a great deal of information on dual nationality in Japan. I quote directly:
Readers interested in more can peruse the rest of the website....
wanderlust
Continuing: Contrary to what is often stated in news reports, editorials, and op-eds, dual nationality has never been illegal in Japan. Like the common equation of Japanese nationality with race or ethnicity, the belief that Japan prohibits dual nationality is nurtured by misinformation, ignorance, and preconceptions.
Yes, since 1985 Japan's Nationality Law has had more provisions than before then to discourage Japanese from possessing other nationalities. Significantly, these discouragements originated in objections raised by the United States in the 1920s to Japan's Nationality Law, which allowed the US-born offspring of Japanese immigrants to acquire Japanese nationality -- in addition to the US nationality they acquired through birth in the United States.
The United States was then very much opposed to dual nationality, particularly among its "Oriental" citizens -- whose immigrant parents were racially barred from citizenship through naturalization. Only after World War II did the US deracialize its laws to the point race per-se was no longer a barrier to citizenship. And only from about the 1980s did courts in the United States rule that the US could not force its citizens to renounce other nationalities, especially those they had acquired passively, as at time of birth.
Japan's present stance toward dual natinality reflects both its historical acceptance of dual status at time of birth, and a pragmatic recognition of its inability to force Japanese nationals to renounce other nationalities. At the same time, Japan's legal bureaucrats, whose job it is to enforce Japan's laws, are empowered to to take action against dual nationals who abuse of their dual status, or who violate an agreement to renounce another state's nationality.
Nao
Where that leaves us is that either her story pans out, and she genuinely didn't know she was still an ROC citizen in addition to being Japanese, or alternatively, she did file the declaration. In the latter case, note that she would be in legal compliance with the Nationality Law in all respects. In the former, it's a fairly minor infraction that is not rigorously pursued.
The Japanese government doesn't go after citizens with several nationalities to check on them if they renounced other nationalities. There are other instances where the government doesn't keep you updated on what you should/shouldn't do, but it still doesn't make running for office with several nationalities legal.
Showing the record while casting oneself as a victim of racism didn't clear suspicions when it is a legal matter and originates in how she handled the problem from beginnings.
Every person I knew who held dual nationalities clearly understood the requirement and how the government handled it. Renho is kidding Japanese public by her lax explanations.
Kestrel
Renho is pretty much done as a possible force for change in japan. shes crossed over.
Strangerland
The amount of disdain people are showing towards her, while not actually discussing any of her policies, trying to attack her identity or her being a dual citizen, shows she's actually a force to be reckoned with here in Japan. She's got those invested in the status quo scared.
Simon Foston
NaoToday 03:32 am JST
If they don't usually bother to enforce this law it surely can't matter all that much to the government whether having dual nationality is legal or not. Except when it applies to an opposition politician they want to discredit, I suppose.
Nao
wipeout
You are the first person I've come across to justify Renho's action legal. Call every Japanese a fool for not believing Renho's excuse and that act itself will build racism.
Simon Foston
NaoToday 06:27 pm JST
Yes, except that no one is going to do anything like that. Why would anyone assume that no Japanese people believe Renho? You clearly don't, but it's daft to suppose that you speak for every Japanese.
lucabrasi
@Wipeout
Most sensible post for a long time....
Simon Foston
wipeoutJuly 22 08:50 pm JST
Well, of course not. Why would you conform to any expectation to make stupid generalisations like that. It's not even foolish to think Renho is lying, it's a reasonable and understandable assumption. Especially for people who support Shinzo Abe and would probably prefer it if there were more attention paid to other leaders' problems than the scandals he's got himself into. In fact I would venture to guess that some of the people who accuse Renho of lying probably do not think Abe is about Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Gakuen, even though there's no more reason to believe him.
Nao
wipeout
so what if I couldn't site a particular law that you are looking for? What if I was not a professional legal worker? What difference does it make? Somebody already sued Renho which means some lawyer picked up this case, but you wouldn't be satisfied until I say no, I don't have all the detailed knowledge of a lawyer.
Nao
Am I correct to assume most foreigners in Japan are supporting Renho on this issue? It seems it is which is some discovery.
Strangerland
But since you're claiming what she did was illegal, you must have some idea of what exactly it was that she did that was illegal. Maybe you can't cite the exact law, but you must have a link or something that can argue the point.
Lawyers can sue over anything. That doesn't make it illegal. It's up to them to prove the point to a judge who determines whether or not it's (il)legal.
Simon Foston
NaoToday 03:27 pm JST
How's anyone here supposed to know what most foreigners in Japan think? I wouldn't assume anything based on the comments on this site, much less get all self-righteous and indignant about it.