Update / Additional Context(Rejected after final interview at 9 years 11 months residency )
Update / Clarification
Since many people have asked similar questions, I thought I would provide some additional context on my 1st post: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanCitizenship/comments/1udc5d6/rejected_after_final_interview_at_9_years_11/
I applied through a scrivener who has handled many naturalization cases and claims to work with retired MOJ/Homukyoku personnel. Before proceeding, they reviewed my eligibility and documents in detail and did not identify any obvious concerns.
For reference, I have no traffic violations, JLPT N1, graduated from a Japanese university, hold Permanent Residence, have worked as a seishain at the same company for several years, have lived at the same address for years, have no known tax issues, no known late pension or health insurance payments, and earn approximately 20 million yen annually. The earlier 2M figure was simply a typo.
I applied as a single applicant and do not have any dependents. Throughout the process there were no major changes to my employment, address, or personal circumstances.
A few people asked about the confirmation call. During that call I was asked whether anything had changed regarding my job, address, relationship status, or travel plans. I answered no to all of them. I was then told that the result would likely be available within a few weeks and was asked to remain in Japan.
What has surprised me most is that neither the scrivener nor the case officer ever suggested withdrawing the application. At every stage, the process continued normally. There were no additional document requests, no concerns raised during the process, and the application proceeded normally all the way through the final interview and confirmation call.
Reading the comments, there seem to be several possible explanations. Many people believe the fact that I was under 10 years of residency at the time of application may have been the deciding factor. Others have mentioned travel history, internal policy changes, office-to-office differences, interview assessment, background checks, or factors that applicants are never informed about. At this point I genuinely do not know.
One thing I find interesting is that there appear to be multiple rejection or withdrawal cases from roughly the same application period, which makes me wonder whether something changed in how certain cases are being reviewed. Of course, that is only speculation.
I am sharing my timeline because I think real case data is useful for everyone. Regardless of the reason, I hope this information helps other applicants understand what kinds of outcomes are currently happening.
If anyone has gone through a similar rejection, received a confirmation call before a rejection, or later reapplied successfully, I would be very interested in hearing about your experience.