Search

Search provisions, jump to a law or an article

Nationality Act

国籍法（こくせきほう）

Who is a Japanese citizen: how Japanese citizenship is acquired — by birth, through a parent's acknowledgment (認知) of a child, or by naturalization (帰化) — and when a Japanese citizen who also holds another nationality must choose between them, or loses Japanese citizenship.

Text in force since
Promulgated
Articles
21
Amendments on the way
0
Read the textOpen on e-Gov

What this law does

  • A child is a Japanese citizen from birth if the father or mother is a Japanese citizen at the time of the birth, or if the father died before the birth and was a Japanese citizen when he died. A child born in Japan is also a Japanese citizen if both parents are unknown or both have no nationality.(Art. 2(1)(i), Art. 2(1)(ii), Art. 2(1)(iii)) (the provisions it rests on)
Read the full overview
  • A child under 18 acknowledged (認知) by a father or mother who was a Japanese citizen at the child's birth, and who is a Japanese citizen now or was one at death, can acquire Japanese citizenship by notifying the Minister of Justice (法務大臣), and becomes a citizen at the time of the notification. This does not apply to a child who was once a Japanese citizen, or where there are facts contrary to the acknowledgment.(Art. 3(1), Art. 3(2), Art. 3(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A foreign national (外国人) can become a Japanese citizen by naturalization (帰化) only with the permission of the Minister of Justice. Except as Articles 5(2) to 9 allow, the Minister may permit it only for someone who meets all six conditions of Article 5(1): a domicile (住所) in Japan for five years or more in a row; age 18 or over, with the capacity to act under the law of their own country; good conduct; and the means to make a living from their own assets or skills or those of a spouse or other relative who shares their livelihood. The other two are having no nationality, or being due to lose it by acquiring Japanese citizenship, and never, since the Constitution of Japan came into effect, having planned or advocated overthrowing it or the government formed under it by force, or formed or joined a party or other group that does.(Art. 4(1), Art. 4(2), Art. 5(1), Art. 5(2), Art. 6(1), Art. 7(1), Art. 8(1), Art. 9(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Japanese citizen loses Japanese citizenship on acquiring a foreign nationality by their own choice, or, if they already hold a foreign nationality, on choosing that nationality under that country's laws. A Japanese citizen who holds a foreign nationality can also give up Japanese citizenship by notifying the Minister of Justice, and loses it at the time of the notification.(Art. 11(1), Art. 11(2), Art. 13(1), Art. 13(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Japanese citizen born outside Japan who acquired a foreign nationality by birth loses Japanese citizenship back to the time of birth unless the intention to reserve (留保) Japanese citizenship is expressed as the Family Register Act (戸籍法), a separate Act, provides. Someone who lost it this way can regain it while under 18 and domiciled in Japan, by notifying the Minister of Justice, and becomes a citizen at the time of the notification.(Art. 12(1), Art. 17(1), Art. 17(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Japanese citizen who also holds a foreign nationality must choose one of them: before turning 20 if they came to hold both before they turned 18 or on that day, or within two years if they came to hold both after turning 18. Japanese citizenship is chosen either by giving up the foreign nationality or by declaring, as the Family Register Act (戸籍法), a separate Act, provides, that one chooses Japanese citizenship and renounces the foreign one (選択の宣言); whoever makes that declaration must then try to give up the foreign nationality.(Art. 14(1), Art. 14(2), Art. 16(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Article 1 states the law's own purpose
Citizenship by birthAcknowledged childrenConditions for naturalizationNaturalization of a spouseLoss of citizenshipReserving citizenshipChoosing a nationalityRegaining citizenship

Amendments

A Japanese law is changed by another law or order that rewrites it — an . No amendment to this law is waiting to come into force. Its amendment history is below. The amendments this site has read the changes of are on this law's amendments page, provision by provision, in Japanese and English.

6 amendments already in force

Who it applies to

It applies to

  • Children born to a Japanese citizen, children born in Japan whose parents are both unknown or both without nationality, and children under 18 acknowledged (認知) by a parent who was a Japanese citizen at their birth and is one now or was one at death, who can acquire citizenship by notifying the Minister of Justice.(Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1), Art. 3(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Foreign nationals (外国人) — anyone who is not a Japanese citizen — who seek Japanese citizenship by naturalization (帰化).(Art. 4(1), Art. 4(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
2 more
  • Japanese citizens who also hold a foreign nationality: they must choose one by the deadline, and after declaring for Japanese citizenship must try to give up the foreign one.(Art. 14(1), Art. 16(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Japanese citizens who acquire a foreign nationality by their own choice, and Japanese citizens born outside Japan who acquired a foreign nationality by birth.(Art. 11(1), Art. 12(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Special rules and exceptions (7)
  • Where a foreign national cannot lose their nationality whatever they wish, the Minister of Justice may permit naturalization without the condition that they have no nationality or lose it, if the Minister finds special circumstances in their family ties with a Japanese citizen or in their situation.(Art. 5(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • The five-year domicile condition may be waived for a foreign national now domiciled in Japan who is a child (not adopted) of a former Japanese citizen and has had a domicile or residence (居所) in Japan for three years in a row; who was born in Japan and either has had one for three years in a row or has a father or mother (not adoptive) who was also born in Japan; or who has had a residence in Japan for ten years in a row.(Art. 6(1), Art. 6(1)(i), Art. 6(1)(ii), Art. 6(1)(iii)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • For the foreign spouse of a Japanese citizen, the five-year domicile condition and the age and capacity condition may be waived if they have had a domicile or residence (居所) in Japan for three years in a row and are domiciled in Japan now, or if three years have passed since the marriage and they have had a domicile in Japan for one year in a row.(Art. 7(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • The domicile, age and capacity, and livelihood conditions may all be waived for a child (not adopted) of a Japanese citizen, where the child is domiciled in Japan; an adopted child of a Japanese citizen, domiciled in Japan for a year in a row, who was a minor under their own country's law when adopted; a former Japanese citizen domiciled in Japan, unless they had lost citizenship gained by naturalization; and someone born in Japan, stateless since birth and domiciled in Japan for three years in a row since then.(Art. 8(1), Art. 8(1)(i), Art. 8(1)(ii), Art. 8(1)(iii), Art. 8(1)(iv)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A foreign national who has rendered special services to Japan may be naturalized without meeting the conditions of Article 5(1), with the approval of the Diet ().(Art. 9(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Japanese citizen who already held a foreign nationality on 1 January 1985 is treated as having come to hold both on that day, and, if they did not choose by the deadline that follows, as having made the declaration choosing Japanese citizenship (選択の宣言) when it arrived.(Suppl. Prov. Art. 3(1), Suppl. Prov. Art. 1(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Japanese citizen who already held a foreign nationality on 1 April 2022, when Act No. 59 of 2018 came into force, and was then 20 or older stays under the rule on choosing a nationality as it stood before that Act: they must choose one nationality before turning 22 if they came to hold both on or before the day they turned 20, or within two years of coming to hold both if that was after they turned 20. One then aged 18 or 19 is treated as having come to hold both on that day, so their two years under the current rule run from it.(Suppl. Prov. Art. 13(2), Suppl. Prov. Art. 13(3), Suppl. Prov. Art. 1(1), Art. 14(1) until 31 March 2022, Art. 14(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
How it is enforced (7)
  • The Minister of Justice (法務大臣) decides whether to permit naturalization and receives the notifications by which Japanese citizenship is acquired or given up. A naturalization is announced in the Official Gazette (官報) and takes effect on the day of that announcement. How to acquire and give up citizenship, and the other details of carrying out the Act, are set by a Ministry of Justice Order (法務省令).(Art. 4(2), Art. 3(1), Art. 13(1), Art. 17(1), Art. 17(2), Art. 10(1), Art. 10(2), Art. 19(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • For a person under 15, the notification to acquire citizenship as an acknowledged child or to regain it after failing to reserve it, the application for naturalization, the declaration choosing Japanese citizenship and the notification giving it up are made on their behalf by their legal representative (法定代理人).(Art. 18(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • The Minister of Justice may send a written demand (催告) to choose a nationality to a Japanese citizen who holds a foreign nationality and has not chosen Japanese citizenship by the deadline. Where the person cannot be found, or a written demand is otherwise impossible for unavoidable reasons, the demand may be published in the Official Gazette (官報), and it is then treated as received the day after publication. Article 36-3 of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政手続法), a separate Act, does not apply to this demand.(Art. 15(1), Art. 15(2), Art. 18-2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A person who receives the demand and does not choose Japanese citizenship within one month of receiving it loses Japanese citizenship when that month ends. That does not happen if a natural disaster or another cause beyond their control kept them from choosing in time, and they choose within two weeks of becoming able to.(Art. 15(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Someone who lost Japanese citizenship after a demand published in the Official Gazette (官報) can regain it by notifying the Minister of Justice within one year of learning of the loss, if they have no other nationality or would lose it by becoming Japanese again. Where a natural disaster or another cause beyond their control prevents notifying in time, the period is one month from when they become able to.(Art. 17(2), Art. 17(3), Art. 15(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • If a person who has declared their choice of Japanese citizenship but still holds the foreign nationality takes, by their own wish, a public office of that country not open to non-nationals, the Minister of Justice may declare that they lose Japanese citizenship, where the Minister finds that taking the office runs clearly against their choice of Japanese citizenship. The hearing on it is held in public, the declaration is announced in the Official Gazette (官報), and the person loses Japanese citizenship on the day of that announcement.(Art. 16(2), Art. 16(3), Art. 16(4), Art. 16(5)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Making a false notification to acquire citizenship as an acknowledged child is a crime, punishable by imprisonment (拘禁刑) of up to one year or a fine of up to 200,000 yen. The offence follows the rule of Article 2 of the Penal Code (刑法), a separate Act.(Art. 20(1), Art. 20(2)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it connects to other laws

It does not cite, and is not cited by, any other law held here.

It also names 3 laws not yet held here.

Where the translation comes from

  • 65
  • 54
  • 24not translated

The Ministry of Justice's translation is shown only where the Japanese it translates matches the law in force today. Everywhere else the English is a machine translation, marked on the paragraph itself.

Only the Japanese is the law, and no lawyer has reviewed the machine translation.

Sources

Everything this page rests on

  • e-Gov (Digital Agency)国籍法 — the text in force from 2025-06-01Original
  • e-Gov (Digital Agency)国籍法 — revision historyOriginal
  • Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeNationality Act — Ministry of Justice translationOriginal
  • Machine translation, not official
  • Written for this site with AIEnglish titles of amending laws, written for this site
  • Written for this site with AIDescriptions of each law, written for this site
  • Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text