Naturalization

Naturalization: Foreigners who are willing to acquire Japanese nationality by giving up their nationality.
Permanent Resident: Foreigners who wish to maintain their nationality but engage in any activities without any restriction in Japan.

The information on table below published by "Ministry of Justice" shows the recent trend of "Naturalization" in Japan.

ＫＯＲＥＡ　：　3,564 (44%)

ＣＨＩＮＡ　 : 　2,526 (31%)

ＯＴＨＥＲＳ : 　2,077 (25%)

Historical Trend of Naturalization

A person has been residing in Japan with a valid status of residence for more than 5 years consecutively (at least 3 years of working period as well) (※1),
A person is 20 years of age or more and has full capacity for legal act according to the law of his/her home country (※2),
A person is of good behavior, and
A person has sufficient assets or incomes in order to make an independent living (※3).

(※1) :
If a person is a spouse of a Japanese national and fulfills any of the following requirements, this requirement is exempted.

A spouse who has been continuously residing in Japan for more than 3 years and who is currently residing in Japan, or
A spouse who has been in a martial relationship for more than 3 years and has been continuously residing in Japan for more than 1 year.

　(※2) :

If both a parent and his/her minor child simultaneously apply the "Naturalization", the permission will be concurrently granted in most cases.
If a person is a spouse of a Japanese national, this requirement is exempted.

(※1), (※2), (※3) :

If a child of Japanese national falls under one of the following conditions, the requirements (※1), (※2), (※3) above are exempted.

A child of Japanese national (excluding an adopted child) who resides in Japan, or
An adopted child of Japanese national who has been continuously residing in Japan for 1 year or more, and was a minor according to his/her national law at the time of adoption.

A foreigner needs a certain level of Japanese language capabilities. (Language skills of at least lower grades of a Japanese elementary school are required.)
Any kind of tax delinquent and failure of pension payment deteriorate into unfavorable conditions upon the application procedures.
A foreigner needs to be very conscious not to be penalized during your stay in Japan. (Commitment of a traffic violation may influence the application procedures.)
If a foreigner needs to drive a car during his/her work, please pay attention to safety.
The application procedures will take a long period of time to settle, and there are many varieties of application forms and documents to prepare, which some of them may need to order from your home country. Therefore, the preparation with a sufficient time allowance is highly recommended.