2023-05-032025-09-17

Submitting a naturalization application does not necessarily mean that you will be approved. It is not uncommon for approval to be denied for any reason, so some people wonder what happens after a rejection. Here you can learn how a naturalization application is processed and denied, what the reasons are, and how many naturalization applications are denied each year.

Naturalization application procedure and rejection

The procedure for a naturalization application is generally as follows.

Consultation with the Legal Affairs Bureau or the District Legal Affairs Bureau

The naturalization procedure begins with consultation with the Legal Affairs Bureau or the District Legal Affairs Bureau.

• Gathering the necessary documents

Next, gather the necessary documents for the naturalization application. First, you will need a resume, a motivation letter for naturalization, a document describing your livelihood, certificate of income and withholding tax, a certified copy of the land register, etc.

The number of documents required varies from person to person, and many people give up due to the sheer number of documents that need to be obtained.

For example, self-employed applicants often need to prepare additional financial records, such as balance sheets or tax returns, which makes the process even more complicated compared to salaried workers.

In practice, many applicants spend several months just preparing the paperwork, and incomplete submissions are one of the most common reasons for delay or rejection.

• Preparation of the naturalization application

You can obtain the application from the Legal Affairs Bureau. It should be filled out by hand.

• Examination and acceptance of the naturalization application

You may be asked to submit additional documentation after officials confirm the content during the review process. The application will be accepted only if it has no deficiencies.

• Interview at the Legal Affairs Bureau

During the interview, everything, including the applicant’s behaviour, is taken into consideration.

Interviewers sometimes pay attention to whether the applicant is punctual, polite, and able to communicate clearly in Japanese, as these details are seen as indicators of social adaptation.

Officials may also ask questions about daily life, community involvement, or family relationships, not only to confirm the accuracy of documents but also to evaluate whether the applicant is well-integrated into Japanese society.

• Decision on acceptance or rejection of the application

If your naturalization application is approved, it will be published in the Official Gazette. After that, you will receive a phone call from the person in charge at the Legal Bureau.

In case of rejection, you will receive a notice.

Possible reasons for denial

The main grounds for denial are as follows.

• Criminal record or traffic violations

You may have a criminal record or a history of traffic violations that cause you to fail the good conduct requirement.

• Neglect of pension payment obligations

If you fail to make your pension payments, your application will not be approved because the conduct requirements have not been met.

• Poor knowledge of the Japanese language

This is the case if your Japanese language skills are deemed to be poor at the time of the interview. However, if it is determined that your Japanese language proficiency is low, you will usually also be required to take a Japanese language test.

• The content of the application documents and the answers during the interview do not match.

If there is a discrepancy between the documents you submitted and what you said during the interview, there is a high probability that your application will not be approved.

This is because the interviewer’s job is to make sure that there are no discrepancies between the documents and what the applicant said during the interview.

Applicants who prepare by rehearsing potential questions with family members or advisers tend to perform better, as they can answer consistently and calmly under pressure.

Even small inconsistencies can raise doubts about credibility, so it is essential to review your documents carefully and answer questions consistently during the interview.

Number of naturalization applications rejected

According to a survey by the Ministry of Justice, the number of naturalization applicants from 2019 to 2021, as well as the number of accepted and rejected applications, is as follows.

You can see that about 500 to 900 people are rejected every year.

	Number of naturalization applicants	Number of approved applicants	Number of rejected applicants
令和元年	10,457	8,453	596
令和2年	8,673	9,079	900
令和3年	9,562	8,167	863

Summary

It is not uncommon for naturalization applications to be rejected. The main reasons for rejection are criminal record, traffic violations, non-payment of pension obligations, low Japanese language proficiency, etc.

However, this cannot be said without reservation, as the applicant is subject to a comprehensive review and approval may be denied for a variety of reasons.

If you are concerned about applying for naturalization or preparing an application form, you can consult an expert, such as an administrative scrivener.