2025-08-04

Police officers are people whose profession is at the forefront of criminal investigations. International marriages have been increasing in Japan in recent years, and there is a question as to whether there are any restrictions on the nationality of the partner in an international marriage for such police officers. We will explain this point.

Procedures for International Marriage

The following procedures are required for an international marriage, i.e., a marriage between a Japanese national and a foreign national in Japan.

First, a marriage notification, a copy of the family register, a passport, and a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage must be prepared.

As with a marriage between two Japanese nationals, you can obtain a marriage notification at the municipal office of the respective city, town or village. On the marriage notification, the address, name, and date of birth of the couple and the address, name, and date of birth of two witnesses are required. The seals of the parties to the marriage and the witnesses are also required.

A copy of the family register must be obtained from the municipal office of the legal domicile of the Japanese spouse if he or she does not have a legal domicile at the municipal office where the marriage registration is submitted. Foreign nationals do not have a family register and do not need one.

If the foreign national resides in Japan, a document proving nationality (passport, etc.) is required. Japanese nationals must also prepare a passport if they do not have a photo identification such as a driver’s license or my number card.

The Certificate of Legal capacity to contract marriage is a document that certifies that the foreign national is single and that there are no problems in getting married according to the laws of his/her country. It can be obtained from the embassy or consulate of the foreign national’s country of origin in Japan.

Nationality of foreign spouse

Just because a Japanese and a foreigner get married, the nationality of one of them does not change. Basically, the nationality remains the same.

However, when a Japanese woman marries a foreign man, procedures may be required depending on the country of the partner.

For example, if the foreign man is a French or Thai national, his nationality remains the same. Also, if the Japanese woman wishes to keep her Japanese nationality, she does not have to go through any procedures. However, if she wishes to acquire the other man’s nationality, she must go through the “declaration of intent procedure. This procedure allows the woman to acquire the man’s nationality, but she loses her existing Japanese nationality.

Thus, when a Japanese woman marries a foreigner, procedures may be required depending on the nationality of the man.

International Marriage of Police Officers

Japanese police officers mainly work in contact with local residents by patrolling their jurisdictions, accepting lost and found reports, providing traffic information, visiting homes and businesses, and conducting crime prevention activities. Furthermore, in the event of an incident or accident, they rush to the scene and are involved in the initial investigation, including rescue activities, preservation of the scene, and securing the perpetrator.

They may also crack down on foreign criminals and criminal groups, which has become a problem in recent years. Are there any restrictions on such police officers being internationally married?

As it turns out, there are no restrictions at all. Since the “freedom to marry” is recognized in the Constitution, there are no restrictions on marrying a person of any nationality. Also, an international marriage does not affect your promotion or career advancement.

Conclusion

When a police officer, or any other public official, marries internationally, there are no restrictions that say “XX nationality is not allowed”. In addition, international marriage does not affect promotion and career advancement at all.