How to Become a Japanese Citizen

Updated 2022

How can I become a Japanese citizen if I have foreign nationality? Is it possible to obtain Japanese nationality? What are my options for dual nationality? Look no further, we have painstakingly put together all you need to know about how to become a citizen of Japan. Read up to learn more.

Check out our post on How to Get Dual Citizenship – it will help you understand the several ways you can go about this, not just for Japan, but for multiple countries.

The first thing you must take to heart on your journey to becoming a Japanese citizen is this: Immigration processes and obtaining citizenship in Japan is completely different from most other countries. If the situation may be likened to sports, the Immigration process and citizenship are a game of soccer in most countries and ping-pong in Japan.

What we are trying to tell you is that you would have to adjust to a lot of different requirements if you must gain that golden Japanese citizenship. Now that we’ve addressed that, let us get right into the business of how to become a Japanese citizen and gain Japanese nationality. 

First Priorities if You Want to Become a Citizen of Japan

The first thing you must do is get to Japan. To get to Japan, you must have a valid visa allowing you to stay in the country as a worker, in other words, you must have a visa that permits you to work in Japan. These kinds of visas are of different categories, each granting you a different duration of stay. The short-term visas are valid for six months to a year while the longer ones are valid for up to five years. All such visas may be extended on request.

Next: Sort Out the Languages

After getting your work visa, the next thing you might want to consider on your way to becoming a Japanese citizen is the Japanese language. In Japan, English is a second language and a poorly developed one at that. It would be easier for you if you could achieve a decent command of the spoken language at the very least.

There are five levels of speech in the Japanese language ranging from N1 to N5. N5 is the simplest level while N1, is the most complex of the levels. N5 and N4 will take you through the basics of the Japanese language, while N3 will take you through the Japanese terms and phrases used in everyday situations but to a certain degree. N2 is a more complex version of N3 and N1 will imbibe within you the ability to understand, read and speak Japanese in a wide variety of circumstances.

The language is an incredibly important part of your journey towards becoming a Japanese citizen, as you will need language skills during your interviews. Gaining Japanese nationality might be time-consuming, but, if you like most people are not able to comprehend the language, your best bet will be hiring a company that offers professional translation, localization, and interpretation services.

Here’s the Process to Become a Citizen of Japan

For individuals who were born in Japan or have a Japanese parents, it’s a simple task. But for citizens of other countries who fall into neither of the aforementioned categories, it is a much longer process to gain Japanese nationality. According to the justice ministry, this process should take six to twelve months. But you must be ready to spend longer as situations may be peculiar. There are twelve criteria that you must satisfy before you can be granted Japanese nationality and Japanese citizenship. Some are pretty easy while others will take some sacrifice on your part. Below is a list of the twelve steps clearly explained.

[Real Quick: If what you’re looking for is expanding to Japan with your business, this guide to Doing Business in Japan will be a better read for you!]

Maintain a Domicile in Japan for Five Years

This is one of the hardest steps to fulfill. Before your Japanese nationality application can be taken seriously, you must have spent a minimum of five years in Japan. Although there are alternate ways around this step, they usually fall in the category of the aforementioned two.

You Must be 20 or Older

In other countries, the minimum age requirement for an application for citizenship or permanent residency falls between 18 to 21 years. In Japan, you must be at least twenty years of age before you can be eligible to apply for Japanese nationality or citizenship.

Prove Your Character

You will be required to submit an official criminal records check. There is no need for submitting if you have a criminal record that is negative. If you have a history of criminal activity, you might as well just forget about citizenship. You’ll also have to prove that you are able to financially support yourself. 

By this, we do not mean that you must be made of money or have an expensive boat or yacht. It just simply means that you should at the very least be able to support yourself in Japan financially. You should have skills that can get you a job to ensure your personal upkeep.

Relinquish Other Citizenship

Remember when we told you about giving up something to get something else? Well, when seeking Japanese nationality, this is where that becomes real. You cannot have dual citizenship or dual nationality as a Japanese. You have to forgo one citizenship to get the other. The Japanese culture cherishes total samurai-like loyalty, hence, you are expected to exhibit that by giving up your current citizenship, as the Japanese government tries to avoid any clash of interests whatsoever.

Take a Pre-Qualification Interview

During the next phase, you will be invited to undergo a pre-qualification test to gain Japanese nationality. You would have to contact the ministry of justice to undergo the test which is usually set up remotely (by phone or in person. This interview would be to ensure that you have satisfied all or most of the requirements.

Participate in a Second Interview

In this second interview, you would be schooled about the different items you would need to provide to prove your eligibility for citizenship. There is really no established list of requirements. But just be sure to have most of your documents intact. Some of these documents include your birth certificate among a host of many other important certificates.

You would also have to read a guidebook that describes the naturalization requirements. This book will be written in Japanese and if you haven’t learned the language at this point, this could deter your application process. Luckily, we could make it easy for you. All you have to do is apply for our translation services, and we would be glad to help you. When you are done with this, you can then contact the official in charge to schedule another meeting.

Participate in the Application Meeting(s)

 Well, it ought to be just one meeting, but it is not uncommon to attend two or three meetings when applying for Japanese nationality. This meeting is to cross-check all the details of your application. If any item is missing or incomplete, you must complete them. You may also need to add new materials to the list.

Now you have submitted all necessary documents. Now you just wait while the ministry goes through your documents. They do this to verify the authenticity of your application. The ministry can also visit you at home or at your workplace. They may also interview all personal referees and sponsors. Ensure you remain on good terms with your stated referees or employers.

Attend a Final Meeting

This step in the quest to become a citizen of Japan is quite ceremonial. It is more like an oath-taking ceremony. This is where you pledge your undivided loyalty to the Japanese nation. And of course, show your appreciation of your new Japanese nationality. After this, you are a certified Japanese citizen.

There you have it. All of the steps you need to know on how to become a Japanese citizen. Go give it a try and best of luck. Feel free to contact us if you need any explanations or guidelines.