【Did You Know?】What is the Character Investigation in Naturalization Applications?
Naturalization is the process for foreign nationals residing in Japan to renounce their current nationality and acquire Japanese nationality. While standard residence status applications primarily involve document verification before approval decisions, naturalization applications include interviews with the applicant, visits to their home and workplace, telephone inquiries, and a “character investigation.”
What is a Naturalization Application?
A naturalization application is the procedure for foreign nationals residing in Japan to acquire Japanese nationality. If the application is approved, the applicant loses their current foreign nationality and acquires Japanese nationality. Consequently, several strict requirements apply.
Furthermore, numerous documents are required, and the review period typically takes about one year. The review involves not only document verification but also an interview with the applicant, visits to their home and workplace, and telephone confirmations.
What are the Conduct Requirements?
Among the requirements for naturalization is the “conduct requirement.” This refers to the criteria used to assess whether the applicant has demonstrated good daily conduct. Specifically, the conduct requirement examines the following points:
・Whether there is a criminal record or prior convictions
・Whether there are any delinquent pension or tax payments
・Whether there are any traffic violations
A “conduct investigation” is conducted to confirm whether the applicant meets the above “conduct requirements.”
Methods of Conduct Investigation
The conduct investigation is carried out using the following methods:
Criminal history, prior convictions, tax delinquencies, etc., can be quickly ascertained by inquiring with the relevant authorities. Regarding traffic violations, the investigation is based on “how many violations occurred in the past five years.” Minor traffic violations are generally tolerated up to about five occurrences.
However, the conduct investigation is not limited to these points. In practice, it also includes verifying whether the documents submitted by the applicant contain any false declarations. This involves methods such as investigating the nature of the applicant’s employment and work attitude, or conducting interviews with neighbors and other individuals in the applicant’s community to assess their conduct.
Furthermore, in naturalization applications, after accepting the application and documents, a background check is conducted to verify the accuracy of the information provided. If this investigation determines that there are false declarations, permission will not be granted.
In other words, false statements carry the same weight as the three items listed above. Therefore, in naturalization applications, while daily conduct is important, it is equally crucial to truthfully and honestly complete the submitted application and supporting documents.
Summary
Naturalization applications involve a character investigation to confirm the absence of criminal records, etc. Furthermore, based on the content of the application and documents submitted by the applicant, a background check is also conducted to verify the accuracy of the information provided.
