r/JapanCitizenship

Just want to share my case details:

Arrived Japan: August 7th 2018 ( 8 years in Japan)

Master from Japan.

N2.

High Skilled Visa

Applied: December 3rd 2024

Interview : September 25th 2025
Added Child in March 6th 2026

Called them in July 15th 2026 (結果でなさそうです。待つしかない)

Rejection letter in late September (in the rejection letter the date is September 24th 2026)

I’d really appreciate some opinions on my situation (sorry long post). I’ve started feeling a bit anxious about whether my plans are still realistic.

I’ve always felt that I was relatively well positioned in Japan because of my education and Japanese ability, but lately I’m getting the impression that everything is becoming increasingly focused on money, and I’m not sure how my particular situation will be evaluated.

Background

• I came to Japan as a MEXT scholarship student, and approaching 10 years of continuous residence in Japan so I could apply 2027 April onward.
• However, because I stayed all the way until PhD, 7 years and 7 months of those 10 years were as a student, from my arrival until my most recent graduation.
• This means that I will have only about 2 years and 8 months of employment in Japan when I reach the 10-year residence mark next year.
• My entire time as a MEXT student was under 100% exemption from taxes (全額免除).
• I also had the bad luck of starting my career at a somewhat mediocre and, frankly, misleading company. They originally promised around ¥6.5 million, but I actually ended up earning only ¥5.5 million.
• I’m hoping to change jobs before March and move into a better-paying position, although obviously that isn’t guaranteed yet. I still have quite a few interviews/processes to go through.
• Besides my academic degrees from Kyoto University, obviously have JLPT N1.
• Currently 5-year Engineer/Humanities visa, valid until October 2029.
• Also, no criminal record or other legal violations, no history of late payments, and I have not had any long periods of absence from Japan.
• Living in Kawasaki

Financially, I currently have:

• Around ¥1.3 million in NISA
• Around ¥1.5 million in my regular bank account

I originally intended to put more into NISA, but at this point I’m not sure what exactly matters most when evaluating someone’s financial situation.

So this is where I’m unsure.

It feels like I’ve maxed out the education/integration/language side of the equation, but because I spent so many years as a student and only recently started working in Japan, my income and employment history don’t look particularly impressive.

And although my studies were funded by MEXT, i.e. the Japanese government itself, I have no idea whether immigration would actually view that positively or whether, from their perspective, those years simply count as years without taxable income.

I’m also currently 36 years old, so I’m wondering whether the fact that I spent many years under pension exemption as a student could be viewed negatively, especially given that I’m now only relatively recently entering the workforce.

So, how would you assess the situation?

Do I have a realistic chance of citizenship after reaching 10 years of residence, or does the combination of long student years, relatively short Japanese employment history, modest current income, and pension exemptions put me at a significant disadvantage?

I’d especially appreciate perspectives from people who have gone through the process, particularly anyone with experience or knowledge about non-traditional paths like long-term study, PhD, relatively late entry into the Japanese workforce.

 

*P.S.

Originally, my plan was to apply for PR first and then pursue naturalization. However, because of the lower than promised salary at my current company, combined with my age, I was no longer able to qualify for the hsp route with just one year of employment. Instead, it effectively became a 3-year wait (75 pts), so I decided to skip PR altogether and go directly for naturalization once I meet the relevant requirements.

I’m not sure whether is a sensible decision or not.

I am PR holder and living for 11 years here. My husband will not apply for the citizenship however they asked for the all documents from my husband too. What happens if my husband withdraw his nenkin, will it affect my application? Any way to avoid submitting my husband's documents? My husband is planning on staying outside of Japan for a year due to his family situation.

I have had Japan visa from very long maybe from 2005, it was a dependent visa but i used to live in my home country and just visit japan to get extensions
During that time I didn’t pay for the pension and just realized now once i was gathering the documents its like 7 years unpaid pension the time i was not in japan

I have been living in Japan continuously for 10 years now and got enrolled in shakai hoken once i got the job
Any recommendations as if I should continue the application or anyone has similar experience

Has anyone naturalized in Japan and retained their previous citizenship, even though their original country legally allowed renunciation?

What exactly did the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) require: proof of completed renunciation, evidence that the process had started, or a signed undertaking? Was this required before approval or afterward? Was an exception accepted, and were there any later checks?

I'm looking for firsthand experiences, including original nationality, approximate year and document names. This question concerns naturalization, not dual citizenship from birth. Please leave out identifying details.

Hi guys.. is there anyone recently got naturalised or rejected? Can you give us your time line ? That’s helps lot of them.
Bureau-chiba
Applications submitted 2025/9
Interview -2026/2
No documents asked I don’t know why..but i send them my renew resident card.
1/30 hour interview but no big kanji.