2025-07-04

Naturalization is the process by which a foreign national living in Japan acquires Japanese citizenship. In order for naturalization to be granted, several requirements must be met. There are also many documents that must be submitted. Here, we will explain how difficult (or hard) it really is to apply for naturalization.

What is naturalization?

Naturalization is the acquisition of Japanese nationality by a foreign national. To do so, one must submit the necessary documents to the Immigration Bureau and apply for naturalization.

If the application is approved, the applicant loses his/her foreign nationality and acquires new Japanese nationality. In other words, you will be able to live as a “Japanese national. For this reason, you must clear the strict requirements.

Requirements for Naturalization

The following six requirements must be met in order for naturalization to be granted.

The first is the “address requirement,” which states that the applicant must have continuously lived in Japan up to the time of application. Even if the applicant has an address in Japan, it may be disadvantageous if the applicant has lived abroad for a long period of time during the five years prior to the application.

The second is the “capacity requirement,” which states that the applicant must be at least 18 years of age and an adult according to the laws of his/her 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 is able to live on the assets and skills of the applicant or a spouse or other relative with whom the applicant shares a living.

The fifth is the “requirement to prevent dual nationality,” which states that the applicant must either have no nationality or lose his/her current nationality by acquiring Japanese nationality.

The sixth is the “Constitutional Compliance Requirement,” which states that the applicant will not attempt or advocate violence against the Constitution of Japan or the government established under that Constitution.

Is it difficult to apply for naturalization?

The application for naturalization requires the preparation and submission of many types of certificates and documents. Depending on the applicant, the number of such documents can be more than 100.

In addition, after the documents are submitted, an interview is conducted with the applicant. The questions will be asked directly to the applicant by the Legal Affairs Bureau, but since the questions will vary from person to person, it is quite difficult to prepare the answers to the questions in advance.

Nevertheless, the main questions asked are about the applicant’s relatives, future life and work in Japan, and why the applicant wishes to acquire Japanese citizenship. In other words, you will be asked about the contents of the application and documents you have already submitted. Therefore, it is not acceptable to give contradictory answers. It is best to answer the questions accurately and without falsehoods.

Also, if there are any deficiencies or shortcomings in the submitted documents, you must correct or resubmit them each time. After such an examination period, the final conclusion will be reached in about one year.

Therefore, it is generally recognized that it is more difficult to apply for naturalization than other statuses of residence because it requires more time and effort and the examination process is more rigorous.

Summary

Naturalization is the process of losing one’s foreign nationality and acquiring Japanese citizenship. Therefore, the requirements are strict and the documents to be submitted are voluminous. As a result, the examination period is about one year, and it can be said that the difficulty is far greater than that of other statuses of residence.