On the New Nationality Law

Abstract

The Diet passed the law bill to revise the Nationality Law on the 18th, May, 1984. Under the revised Nationality Law, a child born to a Japanese mother and a foreign father can get Japanese nationality. In the past Japanese nationality was in principle limited to those fathered by Japanese men, which was suspected to be unconstitutional. Japan signed the United Nations' convention on abolition of discrimination against women in 1980. So the revision of the Nationality Law will open the way for Japan to ratify the convention. Since the amendments would very likely cause an increase in the number of people with dual nationalities, they are obligated to choose the nationality which they prefer before they reach the age of 22. The new Nationality Law also carries provisions that males and females are equal in the conditions of naturalization. Both non-Japanese men married to Japanese women and non-Japanese women married to Japanese men may be allowed to obtain Japanese nationality on the same conditions.