Becoming Japanese: Questions of Citizenship and Ethnicity

Kikajin (“naturalized citizen”) is a term used to describe people who have transferred their citizenship to Japan from another country. In legal language, the precise term under Japan’s Nationality Act is kikasha (“naturalized person”), which is used in administrative procedure​s. A few years ago, I naturalized and thus became a Japanese citizen.

In ancient Japanese, the term kika signified conforming to the laws of the nation and obeying its ruler. The act of applying for naturalization and obtaining Japanese nationality, and persons who did so, were sometimes referred to with negative connotations. Consequently, many newspapers instead use expressions such as “persons who have obtained Japanese citizenship” or “persons holding Japanese citizenship.”

In recent years, more foreign nationals are apparently showing interest in obtaining Japanese citizenship. According to data released by the Ministry of Justice, the cumulative number of people approved for naturalization up through 2024 was 610,208, some 80 percent of whom were Korean or Chinese.

In the past, naturalization required a person to adopt a Japanese name, and the application had to be made by the head of the household, rather than the individual in question. But now, there is no obligation to take a Japanese-style name. Administrative requirements for naturalization have been relaxed somewhat, influenced by global trends, and impacted by the issues of Japan’s aging population and declining birthrate.

But some draw a distinction between obtaining Japanese citizenship and becoming Japanese. More precisely, even if one obtains Japanese citizenship, society does not necessarily acknowledge that person as Japanese. Naturally, in legal terms, upon obtaining Japanese citizenship, one possesses all of the rights and obligations of any Japanese national, but it does not necessarily mean an end to being considered a foreigner.

Some years ago, I conducted a survey asking 400 young people (aged 18–21) “Can you become Japanese by obtaining Japanese citizenship?” to which over 95% responded “No.” If nationality is not the line separating “foreigner” from “Japanese,” it leads to the question of what is the basis for definition.

Many survey respondents listed their criteria for deciding whether someone was Japanese or foreign as “external appearance,” “name,” and so on. For the average Japanese person, it would seem odd for “Almoamen, the Egyptian” to have a Japanese name like Tanaka or Kamikawa. This is why many naturalized citizens choose to use the same name as before.

Strangely, society seems to take a different attitude when athletes and other famous people naturalize, willingly accepting them as Japanese.

This contradictory phenomenon is an issue we tend to avoid. We gloss over it with catchphrases such as “One world,” “A world without borders or discrimination,” and “A world where culture and civilization blend together.” Although people may outwardly support such positions, some still categorize others in superficial, geographical terms.

Naturalized people are faced with an identity crisis due to “being citizens while not being Japanese.” How do we regard other people and how do we appear to them? These are questions we should ask ourselves.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Renowned scholar of Japanese literature Donald Keene receives a bouquet of flowers from a municipal official in Kita, Tokyo, after being granted Japanese citizenship on March 8, 2012. He took the occasion to announce that he had adopted a Japanese name written in kanji to phonetically represent “Keene Donald.” © Kyōdō.)