* PR holders can’t vote * PR can be revoked by DOJ (if you commit a crime for example)
Various types of public service jobs, voting and Japanese citizens have an unconditional right to be in Japan. Nobody else does (probably Zainichi do in practice too). Permanent residents can legally keep multiple nationalities.
With PR, you’re still a foreigner but you just don’t have to renew your visa. With citizenship, you are no longer a foreigner (at least officially), and you will have same rights and obligations as any other Japanese citizen.
During the start of covid PR holders were not allowed to re-enter the country if they left but of course people with citizenship were. This led to people with families here getting stuck outside the country for months. It rarely shows its head but that’s one example where you need to remember as PR you are still permanently just a guest who can be asked to leave at any time.
As I understand, Japan does not allow for dual citizenship — a permanent resident in Japan retains citizenship of his or her origin country, but a new Japanese citizen must forfeit his or her other citizenship within two years of obtaining Japanese citizenship.
Japanese nationality;
Advantages:
– Japanese nationality provides you the indefinite and undisputed ability and freedom of movement to abode within Japan. Remember the Covid closed borders? That did not affect Japanese nationals
– you can vote, become PM yourself, or hold a government position (that said I recall reading somewhere that only those born Japanese can be police? Not 100% on that though).
– when not married to Japanese, highly skilled professional, or Long-term resident visa holder. Naturalization consecutive residency requirements are shorter than Permanent Residency.
– can make voluntary contributions to your Kokumin Nenkin should you reside overseas.
– better treatment with opening accounts with banks and brokers.
Disadvantages:
– you become subject to Japan’s nationality law which basically restricts you to 1 nationality (Japanese), unless you hold additional nationalities you have obtained involuntary (usually that means by birth, but there are other ways) and if naturalizing, you can’t renounce your other nationalities (only applies to a few countries)
– No “Non-permanent resident for tax purposes” (NPR) status
Permanent Residency:
Advantages:
– You can permanently reside in Japan without needing a job, or Japanese spouse etc. Important note here…. RESIDE (see disadvantages)
– You can hold multiple nationalities because PR is a status of residency, so instead of bound to the nationality law, you’re subject to the immigration control law.
– You can be a NPR for your first 5 years of an aggregated 10 years in Japan.
Disadvantages:
– it’s a SOR so had to be maintained as such. This means if you cease residency (I.e remove yourself from the resident register and leave Japan) you need to obtain a re-entry permit from immigration. This is only valid for up to 5 years (can be extended to 6 though). If you leave Japan but maintain residency (remain a registered resident I.e actually continue to be RESIDING in Japan) then you’re able to utilize the 1 year special re-entry permit. But that requires you to return within 1 year (of course many PRs currently abuse the system due to lack of communication between municipalities and immigration. But that should hopefully change one day when our residents cards become obsolete and instead our MyNumber cards become our resident cards). Should your re-entry permit/special re-entry permit expire whilst you’re out the country then it’s bye bye PR.
– the Japanese government shitting the bed and blaming the spread/importing of Covid on foreigners resulted in PRs (Among other tax paying foreign residents) being unable to return to Japan if they left after April 3rd 2020. This lasted until around October 2020.
– PR can be revoked should certain crimes be committed.
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
Technically IMO the best possible way to be tied to Japan is via the Special Permanent Resident (SPR) status of residency.
SPRs are basically citizens. So they get almost the same advantages of citizens (they just cannot vote). But They can hold my multiple nationalities, be NPRs. They do need to obtained re-entry permits/special re-entry but they get two years for their special re-entry permit permit free at the airport so SPRs are actually allowed to cease residency and easily leave for up to 2 years without needing to get immigration permission (like PRs do with the 5 year re-entry permit when they cease residency in Japan). So SPR becomes more like an “indefinite leave to remain” as opposed to a status of residency (it’s still technically a status of residency but with way more benefits)
One gets you a ceremonial blowjob. The other doesn’t
Citizen – they have to take you
PR – they can always change their minds about having you here (it’s only as permanent as the government decides it is)
For example – they could not turn away returning citizens during the early travel restrictions for COVID. They absolutely did turn away returning PR holders.
10 comments
Japanese passport and you can vote.
* PR holders can’t vote
* PR can be revoked by DOJ (if you commit a crime for example)
Various types of public service jobs, voting and Japanese citizens have an unconditional right to be in Japan. Nobody else does (probably Zainichi do in practice too). Permanent residents can legally keep multiple nationalities.
With PR, you’re still a foreigner but you just don’t have to renew your visa. With citizenship, you are no longer a foreigner (at least officially), and you will have same rights and obligations as any other Japanese citizen.
During the start of covid PR holders were not allowed to re-enter the country if they left but of course people with citizenship were. This led to people with families here getting stuck outside the country for months. It rarely shows its head but that’s one example where you need to remember as PR you are still permanently just a guest who can be asked to leave at any time.
As I understand, Japan does not allow for dual citizenship — a permanent resident in Japan retains citizenship of his or her origin country, but a new Japanese citizen must forfeit his or her other citizenship within two years of obtaining Japanese citizenship.
Japanese nationality;
Advantages:
– Japanese nationality provides you the indefinite and undisputed ability and freedom of movement to abode within Japan. Remember the Covid closed borders? That did not affect Japanese nationals
– you can vote, become PM yourself, or hold a government position (that said I recall reading somewhere that only those born Japanese can be police? Not 100% on that though).
– when not married to Japanese, highly skilled professional, or Long-term resident visa holder. Naturalization consecutive residency requirements are shorter than Permanent Residency.
– can make voluntary contributions to your Kokumin Nenkin should you reside overseas.
– better treatment with opening accounts with banks and brokers.
Disadvantages:
– you become subject to Japan’s nationality law which basically restricts you to 1 nationality (Japanese), unless you hold additional nationalities you have obtained involuntary (usually that means by birth, but there are other ways) and if naturalizing, you can’t renounce your other nationalities (only applies to a few countries)
– No “Non-permanent resident for tax purposes” (NPR) status
Permanent Residency:
Advantages:
– You can permanently reside in Japan without needing a job, or Japanese spouse etc. Important note here…. RESIDE (see disadvantages)
– You can hold multiple nationalities because PR is a status of residency, so instead of bound to the nationality law, you’re subject to the immigration control law.
– You can be a NPR for your first 5 years of an aggregated 10 years in Japan.
Disadvantages:
– it’s a SOR so had to be maintained as such. This means if you cease residency (I.e remove yourself from the resident register and leave Japan) you need to obtain a re-entry permit from immigration. This is only valid for up to 5 years (can be extended to 6 though). If you leave Japan but maintain residency (remain a registered resident I.e actually continue to be RESIDING in Japan) then you’re able to utilize the 1 year special re-entry permit. But that requires you to return within 1 year (of course many PRs currently abuse the system due to lack of communication between municipalities and immigration. But that should hopefully change one day when our residents cards become obsolete and instead our MyNumber cards become our resident cards). Should your re-entry permit/special re-entry permit expire whilst you’re out the country then it’s bye bye PR.
– the Japanese government shitting the bed and blaming the spread/importing of Covid on foreigners resulted in PRs (Among other tax paying foreign residents) being unable to return to Japan if they left after April 3rd 2020. This lasted until around October 2020.
– PR can be revoked should certain crimes be committed.
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
Technically IMO the best possible way to be tied to Japan is via the Special Permanent Resident (SPR) status of residency.
SPRs are basically citizens. So they get almost the same advantages of citizens (they just cannot vote). But They can hold my multiple nationalities, be NPRs. They do need to obtained re-entry permits/special re-entry but they get two years for their special re-entry permit permit free at the airport so SPRs are actually allowed to cease residency and easily leave for up to 2 years without needing to get immigration permission (like PRs do with the 5 year re-entry permit when they cease residency in Japan). So SPR becomes more like an “indefinite leave to remain” as opposed to a status of residency (it’s still technically a status of residency but with way more benefits)
One gets you a ceremonial blowjob. The other doesn’t
Citizen – they have to take you
PR – they can always change their minds about having you here (it’s only as permanent as the government decides it is)
For example – they could not turn away returning citizens during the early travel restrictions for COVID. They absolutely did turn away returning PR holders.
passport?