Enforcement Regulation of the Nationality Act
国籍法施行規則
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 19 of the Nationality Act (Act No. 147 of 1950) and Article 5, paragraph (1) and Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the Act Partially Amending the Nationality Act and the Family Register Act (Act No. 45 of 1984), the Ministerial Order for the complete revision of the Enforcement Regulation of the Nationality Act is established as follows.
国籍法（昭和二十五年法律第百四十七号）第十九条並びに国籍法及び戸籍法の一部を改正する法律（昭和五十九年法律第四十五号）附則第五条第一項及び第六条第一項の規定に基づき、国籍法施行規則の全部を改正する省令を次のように定める。
The Enforcement Regulation of the Nationality Act (Attorney General's Office Order No. 69 of 1950) is completely revised as follows.
国籍法施行規則（昭和二十五年法務府令第六十九号）の全部を次のように改正する。
With regard to a notification of acquisition of nationality under the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1) or Article 17, paragraph (2) of the Nationality Act (Act No. 147 of 1950; hereinafter referred to as the "Act"), if a person who intends to acquire nationality has domicile in Japan, it must be made through the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau having jurisdiction over the domicile of said person, or if said person has domicile in a foreign country, it must be made through a consular officer (including the head of an embassy or legation who performs the duties of a consular officer or a person who administers affairs on behalf of such head; the same applies hereinafter) who is stationed in the foreign country; provided, however, that if said person has domicile in a foreign country but has residence in Japan, the person may make this notification through the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau having jurisdiction over the place of residence.
国籍法（昭和二十五年法律第百四十七号。以下「法」という。）第三条第一項又は第十七条第二項の規定による国籍取得の届出は、国籍の取得をしようとする者が日本に住所を有するときはその住所地を管轄する法務局又は地方法務局の長を経由して、その者が外国に住所を有するときはその国に駐在する領事官（領事官の職務を行う大使館若しくは公使館の長又はその事務を代理する者を含む。以下同じ。）を経由してしなければならない。ただし、その者が外国に住所を有する場合であつても日本に居所を有するときは、その居所地を管轄する法務局又は地方法務局の長を経由してすることができる。
A notification of acquisition of nationality under the provisions of Article 17, paragraph (1) of the Act must be made through the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau having jurisdiction over the place of domicile of the person who intends to acquire nationality.
法第十七条第一項の規定による国籍取得の届出は、国籍の取得をしようとする者の住所地を管轄する法務局又は地方法務局の長を経由してしなければならない。
The notification set forth in the preceding two paragraphs must be made in writing by way of the person who intends to make the notification appearing in person at the Legal Affairs Bureau, District Legal Affairs Bureau, or overseas diplomatic establishment.
前二項の届出は、届出をしようとする者が自ら法務局、地方法務局又は在外公館に出頭して、書面によつてしなければならない。
A written notification must state the following matters and be signed by the person who makes the notification:
届書には、次の事項を記載して届出をする者が署名しなければならない。
the name, current nationality, date and place of birth, domicile, and sex of the person who intends to acquire nationality;
国籍の取得をしようとする者の氏名、現に有する国籍、出生の年月日及び場所、住所並びに男女の別
the names and the registered domicile of the parents of the person who intends to acquire nationality, and if the mother or father is a foreign national, their name and nationality; and
父母の氏名及び本籍、父又は母が外国人であるときは、その氏名及び国籍
the grounds for acquiring nationality.
国籍を取得すべき事由
In the case of making a notification of acquisition of nationality pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1) of the Act, the following documents must be attached to the written notification set forth in the preceding paragraph; provided, however, that if it is not possible to attach the document set forth in item (iii) or item (iv) for unavoidable reasons, a document stating such reasons is to be submitted, and if a judicial decision on acknowledgment of parentage has become final and binding, the documents listed in items (iii) through (v) are not required to be attached:
法第三条第一項の規定による国籍取得の届出をする場合においては、前項の届書に次に掲げる書類を添付しなければならない。ただし、やむを得ない理由により、第三号又は第四号の書類を添付することができないときは、その理由を記載した書類を提出するものとし、認知の裁判が確定しているときは、第三号から第五号までの書類の添付を要しないものとする。
certified copies or certificates of all matters of all of the family registers and removed family registers since the birth of the mother or father who has acknowledged parentage;
認知した父又は母の出生時からの戸籍及び除かれた戸籍の謄本又は全部事項証明書
a document certifying the birth of the person who intends to acquire nationality;
国籍の取得をしようとする者の出生を証する書面
a written statement made by the mother and father explaining matters such as the background to the acknowledgment of parentage;
認知に至つた経緯等を記載した父母の申述書
documents certifying the records of overseas travels of the mother and father regarding the time when the mother conceived the person who intends to acquire nationality; and
母が国籍の取得をしようとする者を懐胎した時期に係る父母の渡航履歴を証する書面
other materials sufficiently showing the existence of a natural parent-child relationship.
その他実親子関係を認めるに足りる資料
In the case of making a notification of acquisition of nationality pursuant to the provisions of Article 17 of the Act, a document sufficiently proving that the person who intends to acquire nationality meets the conditions for acquisition of nationality must be attached to the written notification set forth in paragraph (4).
An application for permission of naturalization must be made through the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau having jurisdiction over the place of domicile of a person who intends to naturalize.
帰化の許可の申請は、帰化をしようとする者の住所地を管轄する法務局又は地方法務局の長を経由してしなければならない。
The application set forth in the preceding paragraph must be made in writing by way of the person who intends to make the application appearing in person at the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau.
前項の申請は、申請をしようとする者が自ら法務局又は地方法務局に出頭して、書面によつてしなければならない。
A written application must state the following matters and be signed by the person who makes the application, and a document sufficient to certify that the person who intends to naturalize meets the necessary conditions for naturalization must be attached thereto:
申請書には、次の事項を記載して申請をする者が署名し、帰化に必要な条件を備えていることを証するに足りる書類を添付しなければならない。
the name, current nationality, date and place of birth, domicile, and sex of the person who intends to naturalize;
帰化をしようとする者の氏名、現に有する国籍、出生の年月日及び場所、住所並びに男女の別
the names and the registered domicile of the parents of the person who intends to naturalize, and if the mother or father is a foreign national, their name and nationality; and
父母の氏名及び本籍、父又は母が外国人であるときは、その氏名及び国籍
matters that will be a helpful reference for determining whether or not to permit naturalization.
帰化の許否に関し参考となるべき事項
The provisions of Article 1, paragraphs (1) and (3) apply mutatis mutandis to a notification of renouncement of nationality.
A written notification must state the following matters and be signed by the person who makes the notification, and a document sufficiently proving that the person who intends to renounce nationality meets the conditions for renouncement of nationality must be attached thereto:
届書には、次の事項を記載して届出をする者が署名し、国籍離脱の条件を備えていることを証するに足りる書類を添付しなければならない。
the name, date of birth, and domicile of the person who intends to renounce nationality, and the indication of the person's family register; and
国籍の離脱をしようとする者の氏名、出生の年月日、住所及び戸籍の表示
the person's current foreign nationality.
現に有する外国の国籍
Article 4Notification by Statutory Agent
第四条（法定代理人がする届出等）
When a statutory agent makes a notification of acquisition of nationality or renouncement of nationality or an application for permission of naturalization pursuant to the provisions of Article 18 of the Act, the name, address, and qualification of the statutory agent must be stated in a written notification or written application, and a document certifying the agent's qualification must be attached thereto.
法第十八条の規定により法定代理人が国籍取得若しくは国籍離脱の届出又は帰化の許可の申請をするときは、届書又は申請書に法定代理人の氏名、住所及び資格を記載し、その資格を証する書面を添付しなければならない。
Article 5Attachment of Translation
第五条（訳文の添付）
If attached documents of a written notification or written application are prepared in a foreign language, translations of these documents must be attached to them, with the translator being identified.
届書又は申請書の添付書類が外国語によつて作成されているときは、その書類に翻訳者を明らかにした訳文を添付しなければならない。
Article 6Notice Regarding Selection of Nationality
第六条（国籍の選択の催告）
The notice prescribed in Article 15, paragraph (1) of the Act may be provided through a consular officer who is stationed in a foreign country if the person who is to receive the notice is in the foreign country.
法第十五条第一項に規定する催告は、これを受けるべき者が外国に在るときは、その国に駐在する領事官を経由してすることができる。
The Minister of Justice, when having provided the notice pursuant to the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of the Act, is to have the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau notify the mayor of municipality (in the case of a special ward, the ward mayor, and in the case of the designated cities set forth in Article 252-19, paragraph (1) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947), the ward mayor or the administratively consolidated ward mayor) having jurisdiction over the place of registered domicile of the person who received the notice, with regard to the name of said person and indication of the person's family register, as well as the day on which the notice arrived at the person.
第七条（聴聞の通知）
A notice of a hearing pertaining to the pronouncement set forth in Article 16, paragraph (2) of the Act may be provided through a consular officer who is stationed in a foreign country if the person who is to receive the notice is in the foreign country.
法第十六条第二項の宣告に係る聴聞の通知は、これを受けるべき者が外国に在るときは、その国に駐在する領事官を経由してすることができる。
family register
戸籍
The public record of who a person is related to by birth, marriage and adoption. One is made for each married couple and their children who share their surname, where they set their registered domicile (本籍); when a new register is made for a person married to a foreign national (外国人) or with no spouse, it is made for that person and their children who share their surname (Family Register Act, Article 6). The mayor of the municipality (in Tokyo's special wards and the wards of designated cities, the ward mayor) administers this work unless the Act provides otherwise (Articles 1 and 4). Besides the registered domicile, it records for each person their name and its reading, date of birth, why and when they entered the register, their parents and, for an adopted child, their adoptive parents, whether they are husband and wife, and the register they came from, among other things (Article 13). Entries are made on a notification (届出) — of a birth, a marriage, a divorce or a death, for example (Articles 49, 74, 76 and 86) — or on a report, an application, a court decision and a few other grounds (Article 15). When a marriage between a Japanese national and a foreign national is notified, a new family register is made for the Japanese national, not for the couple, unless the Japanese national already heads a register of their own (Article 6 and Article 16, paragraph (3)). A foreign national who lives in a municipality as a mid- to long-term resident (中長期在留者), a special permanent resident (特別永住者) or in one of a few other categories is recorded in that municipality's resident record (住民票): instead of the family register entry a Japanese resident's record carries, it states their nationality, and for a mid- to long-term resident their status of residence (在留資格) and period of stay (Residential Basic Book Act, Article 30-45). A foreign national in none of those categories is not recorded there (Article 39).
Written by AI using Family Register Act, Arts. 1, 4, 6, 13, 15, 16, 49, 74, 76, 86 and Residential Basic Book Act, Arts. 7, 30-45, 39 as a reference.
Legal Affairs Bureau
法務局
A local office of the Ministry of Justice (法務省). The Legal Affairs Bureaus and the District Legal Affairs Bureaus (地方法務局) are set up under the Ministry (Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Justice, Article 15), and handle its work on nationality, family registers (戸籍), registration (登記), deposits (供託) and notarization, among other things (Articles 4 and 18). The Minister of Justice may open branch offices of either (Article 19). Under the Real Property Registration Act, the registration of land and buildings is handled, as a registry office (登記所), by the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau for the place where the property lies, or by one of their branch offices (支局) or sub-branch offices (出張所) (Real Property Registration Act, Article 6, paragraph (1)); the work of a registry office is done by registrars (登記官), whom the head of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau designates from among the Ministry of Justice officials working there (Article 9).
Written by AI using Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Justice, Arts. 4, 15, 18, 19 and Real Property Registration Act, Arts. 2, 6, 9 as a reference.
special ward
特別区
A ward (区) of a metropolis (都) (Local Autonomy Act, Article 281, paragraph (1)). Today the only special wards are the 23 wards of Tokyo. A special ward is a basic local government in its own right: it does, in general, the work a city, town or village (市町村) does elsewhere, apart from what the metropolis does across all the wards as one (Article 281-2, paragraph (2)). Where a law or order gives a city (市) work to do, its provisions on that work also apply to a special ward, for the work the ward does (Article 281, paragraph (2), and Article 283, paragraph (2)); a Cabinet Order (政令) can make special rules where they cannot apply as they stand (Article 283, paragraph (3)).
Written by AI using Local Autonomy Act, Arts. 281, 281-2, 283 as a reference.