Foreign-born Japanese

Foreign-born Japanese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A foreign-born Japanese is a person who was originally born outside Japan and later acquired Japanese citizenship . This category encompasses persons of both Japanese and non-Japanese descent. The former subcategory is considered because of intricacies of national and international laws regarding the citizenship of newborn persons.

Further information: Japanese nationality law
By Japanese laws, adult persons generally cannot hold both foreign citizenship and Japanese citizenship (dual nationality)
those who have acquired dual nationality before age 20 must choose a single nationality before reaching age 22.
those who have acquired dual nationality after age 20 must choose a single nationality in 2 years.
Many who naturalize as Japanese also adopt a Japanese name, although this is not required.
No law forbids a foreign-born Japanese to be elected as a member of Diet (as Marutei Tsurunen in fact became one). Theoretically, therefore, a foreign-born Japanese can become the Prime Minister of Japan. If this were to happen, it would repeat what happened in France in 2005, when Moroccan-born Dominique de Villepin, was appointed Prime Minister.
Probably because of the difficulty of gaining citizenship and because of cultural difference, foreign-born Japanese people account for a very small percentage of the demography in Japan. Unlike some countries where people born natively are automatically given a citizenship, many who are born and live in Japan permanently, particularly Korean and Chinese, tend to maintain their citizenship. There has been a constant discussion among the government and lawmakers whether to give them some status similar to that of a permanent resident in the United States.