Dual citizenship and marrying in Japan

[ilovesumo 12]

"Mongolians (specially Asa) refusing to become Japanese citizen" topic is nothing to do with Japan or Kyokai, I think.

In case Mongolians would accept Japanese citizenship they have to give up their Mongolian citizenship. That's the problem, here.

There is a big debate on whether Mongolia would accept dual citizenship right now...and Mongolians are devided on this issue.

I don't think Japan allows dual citizenship either...

:-) To me dual citizenship is a very good thing. I am afraid of the change cause you never know what happens...what if you want to go back cause everything failed in the new place...There won't be a home you could come back to...is a re-change possible?

What about marriage? Married to a japanese, a gaijin is allowed to stay and work in Japan, not needing the citizenship? What happens after their divorce?

(btw. did Hakuho's visa-status change with the marriage? )

(dear Admin, might be a nice new topic, no?) (Laughing...)

[Jonosuke 28]

Just marrying a Japanese person does not make you automatically a Japanese citizen. You will need to apply for it.

Japan does not allow dual citizenships however I happen to know many Japanese living elsewhere and married to other nationals carry both passports as unless they notify a Japanese consulate or embassy and do the paperwork, they won't lose their citizenship.

As long as their passport has not expired, they can keep renewing it.

However when you become a Japanese citizen, I believe they will ask you to make a declaration to give up your old citizenship and possibly ask for your passport.

Children who have a parent of another nationality are the only ones with dual citizenships but they must declare whether they will keep the Japanese citizenship before their 21st birthday.

An outstanding baseball pitcher with Sapporo Nippon Ham, Darvish, whose father is an Iranian, declared he would be acquiring Japanese citizenship and therefore will be eligible to pitch for Team Japan in the Beijing Olympics.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Jonosuke

[ilovesumo 12]

Thanks for the info. (Neener, neener...)

I read about the whole matter at the german gouvernment pages and found a rule...

"If you have a dual citizenship and enter an other country's army, the german citizenship will be lost." Tricky...

Children who have a parent of another nationality are the only ones with dual citizenships but they must declare whether they will keep the Japanese citizenship before their 21st birthday.

So that would happen to Hakuho's kid(s) If he doesn't apply/get it...

a friend of mine, indonesian female, was married to a japanese male and applied for the citizenship. It took almost 10 years...is that usual? (Punk rocker...)

Edited August 29, 2007 by ilovesumo

[Takemi 0]

Thanks for the info. (Yucky...)

I read about the whole matter at the german gouvernment pages and found a rule...

"If you have a dual citizenship and enter an other country's army, the german citizenship will be lost." Tricky...

Children who have a parent of another nationality are the only ones with dual citizenships but they must declare whether they will keep the Japanese citizenship before their 21st birthday.

So that would happen to Hakuho's kid(s) If he doesn't apply/get it...

a friend of mine, indonesian female, was married to a japanese male and applied for the citizenship. It took almost 10 years...is that usual? :-O

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7118b.html

for Hakuho's children:

"For Japanese citizens who became dual nationals on or after January 1, 1985 (i.e., after the change in Nationality Law was enacted):

- If you became a dual national before age 20, choose by your 22nd birthday

- If you do not choose a nationality within the time period specified above, the Minister of Justice (Homudaijin) will request you to make a final decision. This process may result in the loss of Japanese nationality."

[Sasanishiki 57]

An outstanding baseball pitcher with Sapporo Nippon Ham, Dalvish, whose father is an Iranian, declared he would be acquiring Japanese citizenship and therefore will be eligible to pitch for Team Japan in the Beijing Olympics.

No surprise there. Far better work prospects for a pitcher in Japanese baseball than in Iranian baseball. If he didn't do that he would count as one of the gaijin players and his future would be far more shaky (as there is a gaijin quota).

[Asojima 2,874]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen. That child cannot become President of the US because of the contitutional restriction that the President must be born in the US. The child of any foreign national who is born in the US can become President even if the parent(s) are not in the country legally. :-) :-S

[ragerkawa 0]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen. That child cannot become President of the US because of the contitutional restriction that the President must be born in the US. The child of any foreign national who is born in the US can become President even if the parent(s) are not in the country legally. :-) :-S

Maybe, maybe not. The question of whether a foreign-born child of American citizen parents can become president has never been clearly legally determined. The requirement is that the president must be "natural-born," not that the president be physically born in the United States. A child born overseas to American parents must be registered at a consulate or embassy, but the process is usually considered merely one of registration, not of naturalization. Most scholars seem to think that children born overseas are "natural-born."

[Asojima 2,874]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen. That child cannot become President of the US because of the contitutional restriction that the President must be born in the US. The child of any foreign national who is born in the US can become President even if the parent(s) are not in the country legally. :-) :-S

Maybe, maybe not. The question of whether a foreign-born child of American citizen parents can become president has never been clearly legally determined. The requirement is that the president must be "natural-born," not that the president be physically born in the United States. A child born overseas to American parents must be registered at a consulate or embassy, but the process is usually considered merely one of registration, not of naturalization. Most scholars seem to think that children born overseas are "natural-born."

My child has naturalization papers and her passport lists her as naturalized. The scholars may think she is natural born, but the lawyers disagree.

[ragerkawa 0]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen. That child cannot become President of the US because of the contitutional restriction that the President must be born in the US. The child of any foreign national who is born in the US can become President even if the parent(s) are not in the country legally. :-) :-S

Maybe, maybe not. The question of whether a foreign-born child of American citizen parents can become president has never been clearly legally determined. The requirement is that the president must be "natural-born," not that the president be physically born in the United States. A child born overseas to American parents must be registered at a consulate or embassy, but the process is usually considered merely one of registration, not of naturalization. Most scholars seem to think that children born overseas are "natural-born."

My child has naturalization papers and her passport lists her as naturalized. The scholars may think she is natural born, but the lawyers disagree.

I was referring to legal scholars.

I don't know how long ago this happened, but if it was recently, I strongly suggest you consult another lawyer. Children born abroad and registered before their 18th birthday do not currently require naturalization. (Unless the parents have never been resident in the US as "adults" or various other odd things.) Even if a child is not registered as a minor, they can probably get citizenship without naturalization. The procedures have changed over time, however.

None of that, however, is actually my point about the presidency. The constitutional requirement is natural-born (NOT native-born), as far as I know, this term has never been precisely defined. Congress, in 1790, passed a statute saying, among other things "And the children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond sea, or outside the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens." I don't think the statute is still in force, but the point is that many people (even lawyers) consider the term natural-born to include anyone who acquires citizenship at birth, whether registration is required or not, whether they were born in the 50 states or not.

[Kotonosato 1]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen.

Why would he/she have dual citizenship when both parents are foreigners? I thought Japan still held to the "law of blood" doctrine, not the "law of the land".

[Asojima 2,874]

A bit OT, but a child born to an American service person and an American spouse in a hospital on an American base in Japan has dual citizenship and must have papers submitted to become a naturalized American citizen.

Why would he/she have dual citizenship when both parents are foreigners? I thought Japan still held to the "law of blood" doctrine, not the "law of the land".

It is, or was, a common problem faced by servicemen serving overseas. As you move your family from country to country, there is always the possibility that your host country could, for some obscure reason, declare your child to be a citizen of the country in which he/she was born. For protection against political upheavals, it was recommended that citizenship paperwork be submitted immediately upon return to the US to eliminate the potential for future citizenship questions.

[Takanobaka 0]

Not that this is applicable to rikishi or their kids, but persons who were born between about 1965 and 1985 can maintain their dual citizenships if they became a dual citizen before 1985. My wife was born a dual citizen and remains one, which seems to annoy the heck out of the airlines and just about anyone else who does passport control, since most of those people don't realize it's allowed. She was born to am American and a Japanese. Her mom, despite having lived in Japan for about 40 years now and despite having worked for the Japanese government, still isn't a citizen.

[Jonosuke 28]

but persons who were born between about 1965 and 1985 can maintain their dual citizenships if they became a dual citizen before 1985. My wife was born a dual citizen and remains one,

I don't believe this is the correct interpretation of Japanese citizenship law. The plain fact is that they do not recognize dual citizenship.

For those even born before 1985 and were a dual citizen, were supposed to select the Japanese citizenship or another by the age of 22 years old. If they have not "declared" their choice, they are consider to have declared their citizenship as that of Japan.

Fully knowing that they do have the Japanese citizenship and indicate they do also have a citizenship from another country, their Japanese citizenship could be taken away by the Japanese authority. So if she wants to keep the Japanese citizenship, I'd be not telling strangers that she has both, especially if she is in Japan. Your wife remains a dual citizen because she has not gone to the Japanese embassy or consulate to tell them she has a citizenship from another county, not because the Japanese government permits it.

[nirumaruyama 0]

I know from the JET Programme that if an applicant has dual citizenship with Japan they must renounce that citizenship in order to participate on the programme.

[kawika 123]

Konishiki and Musashimaru did it.  I think it is fairly easy to be become a Japanese citizen after all those years in sumo.  I suspect in this case, the family is not keen in him changing his citizenship.  Heck, big picture, he will always be their son...