Should I wait before applying for Japanese naturalization because of a late resident tax payment?
I’m planning to apply for Japanese naturalization next year.
My resident tax was split between special collection (salary deduction) and ordinary collection. I mistakenly assumed all of it would be deducted automatically, so I missed the ordinary collection payments and eventually had a tax seizure.
Everything has since been paid in full, including late fees.
I recently contacted the Legal Affairs Bureau. They told me that late tax payments can have a significant negative impact on a naturalization application and that they review the past 5 years of tax payment history. However, they also said they cannot advise me whether to apply now or wait.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation and still been approved?
Would you apply next year, or wait until the late payment falls outside the 5-year review period?