2025-07-20

When a foreigner residing in Japan wishes to become a Japanese citizen, he/she must apply for naturalization. In this case, there is a requirement that the foreign national must “reside in Japan for at least five years. What does this “five years or more” mean? Let us explain in detail.

What are the requirements for naturalization?

There are six requirements to apply for naturalization and be approved for acquisition of Japanese citizenship.

The first is the “domicile requirement,” which states that the applicant has lived in Japan for a certain number of years. However, even if the applicant has an address in Japan, this requirement does not apply if the applicant has been living abroad for several years prior to the application.

The second requirement is the “ability requirement,” which states that the applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of application. They must also have reached the age of majority under the laws of their home country (their current nationality).

The third is the “background requirement” that the applicant has no delinquent taxes, has not been criminally convicted, has not committed any serious traffic violations, etc.

The fourth is the “livelihood requirement,” which states that the applicant must be able to make a living from the assets and skills of the applicant and his/her spouse or other family members with whom the applicant shares a living. It is advantageous if the applicant, relatives, or family members have assets and the skills and qualifications to earn a living.

Fifth is the “requirement to prevent dual nationality,” which states that the applicant does not currently have any nationality or agrees to lose his/her current nationality by acquiring a new Japanese nationality.

Finally, the sixth is the “Constitutional Compliance Requirement,” which states that the applicant has never plotted or advocated the destruction of the Constitution of Japan or the government established under that Constitution by violence, or formed or joined a political party or other organization for such purposes.

What is the Address Requirement?

The “Address Requirement,” as explained earlier, stipulates that the applicant must “have continuously resided in Japan for at least five years. However, simply living in Japan for five years or more (having an address) does not mean that this requirement is satisfied.

First of all, since the term “continue to reside in Japan” is defined as “continue to have a domicile in Japan,” if you travel abroad for a long period of time or move back and forth between your home country and Japan frequently while you have been in Japan for five years or more, you will not satisfy this requirement.

In addition, during the period of stay in Japan for more than 5 years, you must have been working in Japan for more than 3 years with a work visa. Since this is a work-related visa, the period during which you worked part-time while holding a college student visa is not included.

Meaning of 5 years or more and 3 years or more

I think you can understand that the “address requirement” of “must continue to reside in Japan for at least 5 years” is necessary to acquire Japanese nationality and become a Japanese citizen in the future. The idea is that a minimum of 5 years is necessary in order to understand the situation in Japan.

Then, why does it say that “you must have worked for at least 3 years on a work-related visa”? It has to do with the fourth requirement, “living requirement,” which I explained earlier. This means that it will take at least three years for a foreigner to live in Japan and establish a stable financial base.

In other words, the “address requirement,” which states that a foreigner must have worked for at least three years on a work visa out of the five years or more that he/she has been domiciled in Japan, actually includes a “living requirement.

Summary

In order for a foreign resident to be approved for naturalization, he/she must “continue to have a domicile in Japan for at least 5 years and must have worked for at least 3 years on a work-related visa during that period”. Five years or more“ is a period of time necessary to understand the situation in Japan, and ”three years or more" is a period of time that indicates the foundation of one’s life.