Does Japan allow dual citizenship?

Nationality law allows only one nationality

Does Japan allow dual citizenship? The nationality law of Japan allows a single nationality in principle and does not allow dual citizenship. However, there are a large number of people with dual citizenship in Japan.

A person who has both Japanese and foreign nationality (dual nationality holder) must choose one of the two nationalities by a certain deadline (Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the Nationality Law).

Choice of Nationality

A person who has both foreign and Japanese nationality must choose one of the two nationalities by the age of 20 if he/she is under 18 when he/she becomes a dual nationality holder, or within 2 years from the age of 18 or later (Article 14, paragraph 1 of the Nationality Law). If they do not choose, they may lose their Japanese nationality.

(The ages were lowered in April, 2022 because the legal age of adulthood was lowered from 20 to 18.)

Even if this deadline has been exceeded, the multiple nationality holder must choose one of the nationalities. Under the Nationality Law, the Minister of Justice may make a demand for the selection of Japanese nationality if the applicant does not select Japanese nationality within the time limit. In principle, the person who has been given such a notice will lose his/her Japanese nationality upon expiration of such period if he/she does not choose Japanese nationality within one month from the date of the notice.

Why are there so many people with dual citizenship in Japan?

In fact, there are many people who have dual nationality in Japan. Is there a loophole?

According to the law, those who have dual nationality must choose one of the two nationalities, and if they do not choose, the government is supposed to advise them to choose a nationality.

However, there is a loophole regarding dual citizenship.  In reality they have been no cases where the government contacted such people and ask them to choose a nationality.

Loophole regarding dual citizenship in Japan

Under the Nationality Law, if the selection of nationality is not made within the time limit, a notice of selection of nationality is given by the Minister of Justice, and if the selection of Japanese nationality is not made within one month from the time the notice is given, the applicant loses his/her Japanese nationality.　However, in reality, there seem to be no cases where a notice is given, and the dual nationality is often left unchecked. Thus, even in Japan, where dual nationality is not permitted, there are likely to be many people with dual nationality.

Number of people with dual citizenship in Japan

Although the exact number is not known, it is estimated that there are between 400,000 and 500,000 people who have both Japanese and foreign citizenship.

Some interesting stories related to dual citizenship in Japan

1. Novelist and translator Michael Emmerich, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years and is fluent in Japanese, was forced to choose between his Japanese citizenship and his American citizenship when Japan introduced new citizenship laws in 2019. He ultimately chose to keep his Japanese citizenship, but was disappointed to lose his American citizenship and the right to vote in the United States.
2. Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, held dual citizenship until the age of 22, when she chose to renounce her US citizenship to comply with Japanese law. This decision was made in advance of her representing Japan in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
3. In 2019, a group of dual citizens living in Japan filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, challenging the constitutionality of the country’s citizenship laws. Under current laws, Japanese citizens who obtain foreign citizenship automatically lose their Japanese citizenship, and those who wish to regain their Japanese citizenship must go through a lengthy and difficult process. The lawsuit argues that this violates the right to equal treatment under the law.

These are just a few examples of the interesting stories related to dual citizenship in Japan. The issue of dual citizenship continues to be a topic of debate and discussion in Japan