Naturalization vs Permanent Resident

Permanent Resident

Advantages

Obtaining the privilege of an indefinite period of stay.
Obtaining the freedom to work for any employer in Japan.
Obtaining the eligibility for bank loan and student loan from Japanese financial institutions.
A spouse with the status of "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" cannot continue staying in Japan if the partner is deceased, or there is a family breakdown.
An applicant can individually apply for the "Permanent Resident".

Disadvantages

No suffrage.
A permanent resident is still subject to deportation.
Most jobs for public service require Japanese citizenship.

Naturalization

Advantages

Obtaining Japanese citizenship.
Gaining the right to vote.
Travelling overseas becomes more convenient because many countries do not require visa for Japanese citizens.

Disadvantages

Losing your current citizenship.
He/She may face difficulties if he/she applies for repatriation after naturalization.
In principle, the naturalization should be applied by family unit.

Recommendation

Before deciding to apply for naturalization, a foreigner needs to carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a Japanese citizen versus a permanent resident.

If a foreigner has any possibility to return to reside in your home country in the future, and moreover, he/she is just aiming for stable life in Japan without any restriction in terms of the scope of his/her activities, he/she should decide to become a permanent resident in Japan.

On the other hand, a foreigner who is planning to remain in Japan over his/her lifetime should choose naturalization. Becoming Japanese citizens by naturalization would lead some people to feel "belong" to Japanese society and culture. Consequently, he/she may be able to achieve the harmonization with Japanese in a shorter period.

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