2025-07-05

If a foreign national living in Japan wishes to acquire Japanese citizenship, they must apply for naturalization. This is a very strict procedure to acquire Japanese nationality by losing their existing foreign nationality. On the other hand, the procedure for Korean nationals currently living in Japan is relatively simple, but there are some points to note.

Position of North Koreans

Korean or North Korean nationals (Koreans) living in Japan have a status of residence called “special permanent resident”. As of the end of 2021, there are said to be about 300,000 such persons in Japan.

Japan annexed Korea in 1910, and Koreans at that time were given Japanese citizenship. As a result, many Koreans came to Japan and settled down. However, Japan lost the war in 1945, and the San Francisco Peace Treaty subsequently separated the Korean Peninsula from Japanese sovereignty. As a result, Koreans living in Japan lost their Japanese citizenship.

However, there were many Koreans and Koreans who had only lived in Japan, and it became necessary to provide relief in terms of their nationality. This is how the “Special Permanent Resident” system was established.

How difficult is it to apply for naturalization?

The application for naturalization is divided into three categories: “employee,” “sole proprietor and corporate officer,” and “simplified naturalization. If you are a “Special Permanent Resident” and wish to naturalize, you fall under the “Simplified Naturalization” category.

According to the Nationality Law, a “special permanent resident” is “a person who was born in Japan and has continuously had a domicile or residence in Japan for at least three years, or whose father or mother (excluding adoptive parents) was born in Japan,” or “a person who has continuously had a residence in Japan for at least 10 years. In principle, the requirement of “continuous residence in Japan for at least five years” is relaxed in the case of a normal application for naturalization.

In addition, “simplified naturalization” exempts the applicant from preparing and submitting a statement of motive for naturalization, and as the name implies, the level of difficulty is not as high as other naturalization applications.

Points to keep in mind when applying for naturalization

When applying for naturalization, you will need to obtain several documents from your home country. Usually, you contact the relevant organization in your home country directly and ask them to send you the documents by mail. In such cases, the Korean embassy or consulate in Japan should be used to obtain the documents.

However, this method cannot be used for North Korean nationals (Koreans). This is because there are no diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korean nationals, and there is no embassy or consulate in Japan. In such cases, we will collect as many documents as possible in Japan. However, this method will result in some of the required documents being missing, and you will be asked to submit other documents to support the facts.

In any case, when a North Korean national (Korean national) applies for naturalization, it is necessary to proceed with the application in full consultation with a specialist administrative scrivener or a person in charge at the Immigration Bureau.

Summary

Korean nationals and North Korean nationals (Koreans) residing in Japan have the status of “special permanent resident”. When applying for naturalization, since they fall under the category of “simplified naturalization,” the process is relatively easier than for those from other countries. However, when a North Korean national (Korean national) requests the necessary documents to apply for naturalization, he/she is required to gather as many documents as possible, as there is no embassy or consulate in Japan.