KoboshiSources checked: 2026-11-08.
For the visa routes that come before citizenship, start with Japan visa requirements in 2026. This page covers naturalization only.
Naturalization (帰化, kika) means becoming a Japanese citizen. The Minister of Justice decides each case against the conditions in the Nationality Act (国籍法, kokuseki ho) and the ministry’s own practice. Answer the questions below to see which conditions apply to you and which ones to raise at your consultation.
Checklist
Japan naturalization checklist
Japan has no points for naturalization: the Nationality Act lists conditions, and the Minister of Justice decides. Check each one for your route, with the documents it needs. Rules as of 8 November 2026. Your answers stay on this page and in its link: nothing is sent or saved.
Your checklist
Checked for None of these special cases (Art. 5), as of 8 November 2026.
0 met 0 not met 8 not sure
Nothing is clearly failing, but some answers are "not sure". Take those to the bureau.
- Living in Japan long enoughNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5): Your route: 5 years or more in a row living in Japan, up to the application. Enter the date you started living in Japan to measure it. Answer the question on continuous, lawful stay.
How it is judged: Your stay must be lawful, on a valid residence status (MOJ Q9).
- Age and legal capacityNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5(1)(ii)): 18 or older, and an adult under the law of your home country.
- Good conductNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5(1)(iii)): Your conduct must be good.
How it is judged: Judged as a whole by ordinary standards: any criminal record and its nature, whether you pay your taxes, and whether you cause trouble to others (MOJ Q9).
- Able to make a livingNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5(1)(iv)): You can live on your own or your household's assets or skills.
How it is judged: Judged for the household that shares a living: you need no income of your own if your spouse or family keeps a stable life (MOJ Q9). MOJ names no fixed amount.
- One nationalityNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5(1)(v) and 5(2)): You are stateless, or you lose your current nationality when you become Japanese.
How it is judged: If your country does not let you give up its nationality, the Minister may still permit naturalization when your family ties to Japanese nationals or your situation are special (art. 5(2)).
- No violent opposition to the ConstitutionNot sure
Legal minimum (Art. 5(1)(vi)): You have never planned or advocated overthrowing the Constitution or the government by force, nor formed or joined a group that does.
- Japanese for daily lifeNot sure
Current practice (MOJ practice (Q9), not in the Act): Japanese good enough for daily life: conversation, reading and writing (MOJ Q9).
- About 10 years in Japan (current practice)Not sure
Current practice (MOJ practice (Q9), not in the Act): In principle 10 years or more living in Japan and being integrated into Japanese society (MOJ Q9). MOJ announced this on 27 March 2026 for reviews from 1 April 2026; on 28 July 2026 the Cabinet answered that the Act's 5 years stays and the 10 years is practice, to match the permanent residence review. MOJ's page states it for applicants in general; ask the bureau how it applies to your route.
Enter the date you started living in Japan to measure it.
Documents to prepare
- Application form for naturalization, with your photo.
- A statement about your relatives.
- A statement of your reasons for naturalizing.
- Your CV.
- Proof of family relationships from your home country (birth, marriage and family certificates); Japanese family registers too if relatives are Japanese.
- Copies of certificates of your skills and qualifications, if you have any, such as a driving licence.
- A Japanese translation of every document not in Japanese, naming the translator.
- Residence certificate (jumin-hyo) showing nationality, status, period of stay and its expiry, and where you lived in the 5 years before applying.
- Proof of nationality and a birth certificate from your home country.
- Tax proof: withholding slips (gensen choshu-hyo) if employed, income tax certificates if self-employed, corporate tax certificates if you run a company.
- Social insurance proof: pension premium receipts and your insurance enrolment details.
- A statement of your livelihood.
- Income proof: an employment certificate and a salary certificate for one month.
- A statement of your business, if you run one.
- Proof of nationality from your home government (and a copy of your passport if you have one).
- An oath to obey Japanese law, signed at the bureau.
- Copies of Japanese test results, if you have any.
The exact list depends on your nationality, family and work, so the bureau confirms it at the consultation (MOJ Q11, MOJ leaflet).
Next step: book a consultation. Consultations at the Legal Affairs Bureau are by appointment: phone the nationality desk for your address first (list of desks by prefecture). You apply there in person, and the application has no fee (MOJ procedure page).
Aiming for permanent residence instead? Professionals can reach it in 1 or 3 years with the HSP points calculator.
This is not legal advice. The Minister of Justice decides each case. Sources: Nationality Act, articles 5 to 8, MOJ Q&A, Cabinet's answer of 28 July 2026. Checked 8 November 2026.
This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Only your Legal Affairs Bureau can review your case, so read the Ministry of Justice nationality Q&A before you book.
Does Japan use a points system for naturalization?
No. Japan’s Nationality Act lists conditions, and the Minister of Justice decides whether to grant naturalization (Nationality Act, articles 4 and 5, e-Gov). No score, weighting or pass mark exists.
- No published criteria: the ministry’s application page lists no review criteria and no standard processing period (Ministry of Justice, naturalization application).
- Criteria kept private: in a written answer of 2026-07-28, the Cabinet declined to disclose how applications are assessed, saying it could hinder the review (House of Councillors, Cabinet answer).
- The numbers: in 2025, 14,103 people applied, 9,258 were granted and 666 were refused. In 2024 the counts were 12,248, 8,863 and 639 (Ministry of Justice statistics, PDF). These are calendar-year counts of three separate groups, and an application filed in one year may be decided the next.
Japan’s points system belongs to a work visa, the Highly Skilled Professional visa, which can also shorten the path to permanent residence. See how HSP points work.
What are the legal conditions for Japanese naturalization?
Article 5 of the Nationality Act sets six conditions. The Ministry of Justice explains each in its Q&A (Ministry of Justice nationality Q&A, question 9).
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| Residence (住所条件, jusho joken) | You have lived in Japan continuously for 5 years or more, on a valid status of residence. |
| Age and capacity (能力条件, noryoku joken) | You are 18 or older and an adult under your home country’s law. |
| Conduct (素行条件, soko joken) | Your conduct is good: the ministry looks at criminal records, whether you pay your taxes, and whether you cause trouble for others. |
| Livelihood (生計条件, seikei joken) | You can live in Japan on your own or your household’s assets or skills. It is judged per household. |
| Single nationality (重国籍防止条件, jukokuseki boshi joken) | You are stateless, or you lose your current nationality when you naturalize. |
| Constitution (憲法遵守条件, kenpo junshu joken) | You have never planned or argued for destroying Japan’s Constitution or government by force, or formed or joined a group that does. |
Three details decide many cases:
- Nationality you cannot give up: if your country does not let you renounce its nationality, the Minister may still grant naturalization when your family ties with Japanese nationals or your situation are special (Nationality Act, article 5, paragraph 2).
- Taxes and insurance: the official application guide asks for tax certificates for the period your officer sets. If you pay national pension or national health insurance yourself, head a household with members on them, or employ insured staff, it asks for payment proof for the latest 2 years. Anyone paying premiums or resident tax themselves also shows they paid on time (application guide, April 2026 edition, PDF).
- Driving: if you hold a licence, you submit your driving record for the past 5 years, and the guide says traffic violations can affect your application.
Who can naturalize in Japan with shorter residence?
Articles 6 to 8 of the Nationality Act lower or waive some conditions for people with close ties to Japan. In every case you must live in Japan now.
| Who | Residence needed by law | Conditions waived |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a Japanese national | 3 years in Japan, or 3 years married plus 1 year in Japan | residence, age |
| Child of a former Japanese national (not adopted) | 3 years | residence |
| Born in Japan | 3 years, or none if a parent was also born in Japan | residence |
| Child of a Japanese national (not adopted) | none | residence, age, livelihood |
| Adopted child of a Japanese national, a minor when adopted | 1 year | residence, age, livelihood |
| Former Japanese national (not one who lost it after naturalizing) | none | residence, age, livelihood |
| Born in Japan and stateless since birth | 3 years | residence, age, livelihood |
Source: Nationality Act, articles 6 to 8. The 10-year practice below is stated as a general condition, so ask at your consultation how it applies to your route.
What changed for naturalization on 2026-04-01?
Before: the residence rule was the Nationality Act’s 5 years, and it still is in the law.
Now, since 2026-04-01: the Ministry of Justice asks, in principle, for 10 years or more in Japan and integration into Japanese society, and checks tax and social insurance payments over a longer period. The Justice Minister announced this on 2026-03-27 (press conference, Ministry of Justice).
- In the ministry’s own words: its Q&A says applicants need 「日常生活を営むのに十分な日本語能力（会話及び読み書き）を有することや10年以上在留していることなど、日本社会に融和していること」: enough Japanese for daily life (speaking, reading and writing) and 10 years or more in Japan, among other signs of integration (nationality Q&A, question 9).
- Why: the government says it aligned naturalization with the permanent residence review, which also expects 10 years in principle (Cabinet answer, 2026-07-28).
- In the application guide: the April 2026 guide states 10 years and integration as a general condition, beyond the conditions in the law (application guide, PDF).
- Built on the 5-year rule: the minister (2026-03-27) and the Cabinet answer, which quotes a government answer in the House of Councillors Justice Committee on 2026-04-14, both describe the practice as premised on the applicant meeting the Nationality Act’s 5-year residence condition (article 5, paragraph 1, item 1).
- Spouses, people born in Japan, and earlier applicants: no official text says how the practice applies to the shorter routes in articles 6 to 8, or to applications filed before 2026-04-01. If you are in either group, ask your Legal Affairs Bureau how the 10-year practice applies to you.
How good must your Japanese be for naturalization?
The official standard is enough Japanese for daily life, in speaking, reading and writing (nationality Q&A, question 9).
- You write by hand: the motive statement (帰化の動機書, kika no dokisho), explaining why you want to naturalize, must be handwritten by you; a computer is not allowed (application guide).
- Test results help: the guide lists Japanese test results among the proof you can attach to your résumé.
Practitioner view, not an official standard: the Daiichi Sogo administrative scrivener firm (行政書士法人第一綜合事務所) writes that applicants need about the Japanese of a third-grade elementary school pupil, and gives JLPT N4 (about CEFR A2) or JFT-Basic A2 as a rough marker. It adds that the bureau may give a short test of about 15 minutes, and that a JLPT pass does not exempt you from it (page updated 2026-04-01).
Which documents do you need for naturalization in Japan?
The official guide lists 15 groups of documents, and your officer tells you which apply to you (application guide, April 2026 edition; nationality Q&A, question 11).
- Forms you fill in: the application with a 5 cm square photo taken within 6 months; an overview of your relatives; a résumé; the handwritten motive statement; an overview of your household’s income and spending; a business overview if you or your household run a business; an oath you sign at the bureau.
- From your home country: a nationality certificate, birth, marriage and family relationship certificates, and copies of all your passports.
- From Japan: residence certificates (住民票, juminhyo) for your household; an employment and salary certificate from your employer; tax certificates; pension and health insurance payment proof when you pay premiums yourself; your driving record for the past 5 years if you drive.
- Format: two sets, one of which may be copies. Every foreign-language document needs a full A4 translation with the translator’s name, address and date.
How do you book a naturalization consultation at the Legal Affairs Bureau?
Consultations are by appointment, booked by phone with the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局, homukyoku) that covers your address. The guide asks you to book before you start gathering documents.
- Find your bureau. It is the one for your home address. In Tokyo’s 23 wards, for example, the nationality section of the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau takes bookings on 03-5213-1347 (Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, page updated 2026-09-04).
- Prepare for the first visit. Read the application guide (帰化許可申請のてびき, kika kyoka shinsei no tebiki). Tokyo also asks you to bring its consultation questionnaire, filled in.
- Apply in person. When your documents are ready, every applicant goes to the bureau in person; a parent or guardian applies for a child under 15 (Ministry of Justice, naturalization application).
- Report changes while you wait. Tell your officer at once about a move, a marriage or birth, a status renewal, a trip abroad, a traffic violation or a new job (application guide).
How long does naturalization take, and what does it cost?
Applying is free: the ministry charges no fee (Ministry of Justice, naturalization application). Your costs are certificates, translations and photos.
The ministry sets no standard processing period. Practitioner view: the administrative scrivener firm Tree (行政書士法人Tree) estimates about 8 months to a year from acceptance to result, after 1 to 3 months of gathering documents (page updated 2026-06-05).
When naturalization is granted, it is published in the Official Gazette (官報, kanpo), and you become a Japanese national on that day (Nationality Act, article 10).
How does naturalization compare with permanent residence?
Permanent residence (永住, eiju) and naturalization ask for similar time in Japan now, and they differ in what you keep.
| Permanent residence | Naturalization | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard time in Japan | 10 years, 5 of them on a work or residence status | 10 years in principle since 2026-04-01 |
| Your nationality | you keep it | you give it up |
| Fee | 200,000 yen since 2026-10-01 | free |
| Points route | Highly Skilled Professionals: 3 years at 70 points, 1 year at 80 | none |
Sources: ISA permanent residence guideline, revised 2026-10-01; ISA fee leaflet; the ministry pages above. The permanent residence rules that start on 2027-04-01 are summed up in Japan visa requirements in 2026. For the points route and its traps, see how HSP shortens the wait for permanent residence.
Before you apply: This page is general information, not legal advice. Meeting these conditions does not guarantee naturalization; the Minister of Justice decides each case. Practice changes, so check the Ministry of Justice nationality Q&A and ask your Legal Affairs Bureau before you prepare documents. For help with your own case, ask a lawyer registered in Japan (弁護士, bengoshi) or an administrative scrivener (行政書士, gyoseishoshi). Sources last checked: 2026-11-08.
