News Japan considers lengthening the 5-year residency rule for naturalisation

The Japanese government had begun examining whether the path to Japanese citizenship should require a longer period of residence than the current five years. Under existing rules, someone seeking naturalisation must have lived in the country for at least that length of time, even though obtaining permanent residency requires a ten-year stay. The Japan Innovation Party, which works with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's LDP, raised the issue in a policy paper in September, arguing that the lighter citizenship requirements created an odd imbalance. It urged the government to align the naturalisation requirement with, or exceed, the threshold for permanent residency.

Under previous PM Ishiba, the government pledged to "promptly explore ways to ensure consistency with permanent residency." The government has begun using stronger language since Takaichi took office, saying it will "explore tightening the rules."

Some argue that the requirements for naturalization are not necessarily more lenient than those for permanent residency. The Immigration Services Agency says that "naturalization is subject to various conditions in addition to residency requirements." They include good conduct, ability to earn a living, compliance with the constitution, and Japanese-language proficiency sufficient for daily life. The statement of purpose required for naturalization applications must be handwritten in Japanese, while the statement for permanent residency applications can be written on a computer and in another language with a translation attached. [...] There were 12,248 naturalization applications submitted in 2024, of which 8,863 were approved, according to the Ministry of Justice. There are no statistics on falsified applications or other fraud.

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Paywall alert:

Yes it is odd. A friend of mine from Hong Kong who naturalized about 25 years ago had told me at the time that it was easier to get citizenship than permanent residency which I was surprised about at the time.