2025-09-08

Foreign nationals must apply for naturalization to acquire Japanese nationality. This raises the question: Can that person later reacquire their original nationality, or reacquire Japanese nationality after reacquiring their original nationality? Let’s explain in detail.

Changing Nationality

A foreign national holding a residence status in Japan must apply for naturalization to change their nationality, meaning to acquire Japanese nationality.

For this application, the required documents must be submitted to the Legal Affairs Bureau or Regional Legal Affairs Bureau to obtain permission to acquire Japanese nationality. Note that Japan does not recognize “dual nationality.” Therefore, after being granted Japanese nationality, procedures to renounce the previous foreign nationality are necessary.

Can You Reacquire Your Original Nationality After Changing?

Is it possible for a foreign national who has acquired Japanese nationality to reacquire their original nationality?

The answer to this question is as follows: “Whether you can reacquire your original nationality is determined by the laws of that original nationality.”

If the laws of your original nationality permit the reacquisition of nationality, then restoration is possible. However, if the laws do not permit reacquisition, you cannot return to that nationality and will remain a Japanese national.

For example, Article 16 of China’s Nationality Law stipulates: “Applications for naturalization, renunciation, or restoration of nationality of the People’s Republic of China shall be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. Upon approval, the Ministry of Public Security shall issue a certificate.” Therefore, in China, if you wish to restore Chinese nationality from another nationality, you can do so if the Ministry of Public Security reviews and approves your application.

Similarly, South Korea also has a system for nationality restoration. Specifically, procedures for “acquisition through nationality restoration” must be conducted at the South Korean embassy.

As outlined above, there are quite a few countries that permit individuals to restore their original nationality after acquiring Japanese nationality. Whether your home country permits nationality restoration must be confirmed directly with your home country’s government or its embassy in Japan.

Is there a limit on the number of times nationality can be changed?

Considering the above points, is there a limit on the number of times a foreign national can repeat the cycle of “acquiring Japanese nationality” → “changing to their original nationality” → “acquiring Japanese nationality”?

The “naturalization application” procedure for acquiring Japanese nationality is a system that reviews whether the requirements for naturalization are met and grants permission. Even if you have already acquired Japanese nationality once, when applying for naturalization again, you are already a foreign national. Since the outward appearance of the application is the same as a standard naturalization application, it is theoretically possible to acquire Japanese nationality again.

However, it is possible that the applicant’s circumstances have changed between the first naturalization application and subsequent applications. Therefore, even if naturalization was granted in the past, it is not guaranteed that it will be granted a second or third time.

Thus, while there is no limit on the number of times nationality can be changed, there is no guarantee that multiple applications will be approved.

Summary

Whether one can revert to their original nationality after acquiring Japanese nationality depends on whether that country’s laws permit “reacquisition of nationality.” Furthermore, while repeatedly changing nationality is technically possible under the system, past approval does not guarantee future approval.