My family (2 adults 1 child) is looking to come to Japan to live. I am currently at N2 JPLT Japanese level and have been awarded J-Find visa. My husband is only at N4 but studying 2 hours a day to catch up, and we have started teaching my 4 year old hiragana and basic vocabulary (he is picking it up quick!). My husband and I are both doing private lessons once a week with a native Japanese teacher who gives us study plans, assessments, etc. Starting in January, my son is going to have formal Japanese class in preparation for the move. I have visited Japan multiple times and we are excited to move somewhere that is much safer than the US for our son. My husband and I are both in tech (I’m in pharma/health tech right now and my husband works in AI).
This is a very down the line question but we are methodical planners. We understand there’s a lot that needs to happen before this is even an issue but we don’t want to make the move if it will complicate our son’s life when he is a teenager. We are waiting to consult with a lawyer but this sub is super knowledgeable and I thought I would ask here.
I did try searching the MOJ website but found the legalese confusing.
We understand *our* routes to naturalization as adults, but we are unclear on our son’s options – if we become naturalized while he is a minor, will he get naturalized as well?
Thank you!
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Naturalization of minor?**
My family (2 adults 1 child) is looking to come to Japan to live. I am currently at N2 JPLT Japanese level and have been awarded J-Find visa. My husband is only at N4 but studying 2 hours a day to catch up, and we have started teaching my 4 year old hiragana and basic vocabulary (he is picking it up quick!). My husband and I are both doing private lessons once a week with a native Japanese teacher who gives us study plans, assessments, etc. Starting in January, my son is going to have formal Japanese class in preparation for the move. I have visited Japan multiple times and we are excited to move somewhere that is much safer than the US for our son. My husband and I are both in tech (I’m in pharma/health tech right now and my husband works in AI).
This is a very down the line question but we are methodical planners. We understand there’s a lot that needs to happen before this is even an issue but we don’t want to make the move if it will complicate our son’s life when he is a teenager. We are waiting to consult with a lawyer but this sub is super knowledgeable and I thought I would ask here.
I did try searching the MOJ website but found the legalese confusing.
We understand *our* routes to naturalization as adults, but we are unclear on our son’s options – if we become naturalized while he is a minor, will he get naturalized as well?
Thank you!
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Are you stateside? If so contact an embassy
Have a look at the answer to Q.9 here:
https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/MINJI/minji78.html
It states, in part:
The general conditions for naturalization are as follows (Article 5 of the Japanese Nationality Act).
1 　Domicile (Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Japanese Nationality Act)
　The person must have been domiciled in Japan for five years or more consecutively and must have had a valid status of residence throughout the prescribed period of time.
2 　Capacity (Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Japanese Nationality Act)
　The person must be 20 years of age or more, and of full capacity to act according to the law of his/her home country.
　(From April 1, 2022, the person must be 18 years of age or more, and of full capacity to act according to the law of his/her home country.)
– – – – – – – –
So, it seems a child does not become naturalised simply because his/her parents become naturalised.
Rather, it can only happen once the child becomes an adult.
Is there a particular reason you want your child to naturalize and lose US citizenship?
Personally as a US citizen raising my US citizen child in Japan I’m not looking for her to naturalize. The US passport is one of the strongest in the world, and we’d prefer for her to go to university in the US. If she wants to stay in Japan as an adult she has visa options (student, work) that can lead to her eventual permanent residency status.