This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）
Who this article is forAn additional enquiry from the applicant himself or herself about the understanding of the "in principle at least 10 years of residence" requirement for naturalization applications.
On the premise that the domicile requirement under the 国籍法 (Nationality Act) (continuous domicile of at least 5 years) is met, regarding the in-principle residence of at least 10 years required in the screening of "integration into Japanese society", under the screening guidelines and published requirements so far, if residence was interrupted by an overseas assignment or the like, the rule is that at least 10 years of residence counted from after the return to Japan is required. However, because the final decision rests on the discretion of the Minister of Justice, a continuous 10 years of residence is not necessarily required for every person, and it is also said that a few months after the start of the new practice, the reality is that "you cannot know until you apply".
An additional enquiry from the applicant himself or herself about the understanding of the "in principle at least 10 years of residence" requirement for naturalization applications.
In principle, 10 years of residence counted from the time of return from the overseas assignment is considered to be necessary.
Under the screening guidelines and published requirements so far, it is said that, in principle, 10 years of residence from the return from the overseas assignment (in this case, 2020 (2020年)) is necessary.
Because the final decision rests on the discretion of the Minister of Justice, it is considered not necessarily uniform.
Because the final decision is made at the discretion of the Minister of Justice, it is considered that a continuous 10 years of residence is not necessarily required for every person. Honestly, it is also said that the reality is that you cannot know until you actually apply.
At that time the current practice policy had not yet been decided, so the answer is considered to have been based on the information available then.
Because the current practice policy had not yet been decided as of February (2月), it is considered that the Legal Affairs Bureau answered "not a problem" based on the information at that time.
Under the screening guidelines and published requirements so far, it is said that, in principle, 10 years of residence counted from after the return to Japan is required.
Because the decision rests on the discretion of the Minister of Justice, a continuous 10 years of residence is said not to be necessarily required for every person, and it is also said that there are parts you cannot know until you actually apply.
Because it may have been an answer given before the practice policy was decided, it is said to be desirable to check again under the current practice.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Because it is a translation, the meaning may differ from the original in places. Where something affects a decision you are making, please check the Japanese version or ask us. The supervision by a 行政書士 is of the Japanese version.