The Japanese government will tighten the criteria for obtaining citizenship from April onwards, increasing the residency requirement from five to ten years, among other points, as explained this Friday (27) by the country’s Justice Minister, Hiroshi Hiraguchi, at a press conference.
The measure seeks to combat the perception that “acquiring Japanese citizenship is easier than obtaining permanent residence,” Hiraguchi said after a government meeting, in statements obtained by public television broadcaster NHK.
Until now, to obtain permanent residence in Japan it was necessary to have lived in the country for ten years, but only five to obtain Japanese citizenship.
In addition to extending the period necessary to apply for nationality, the authorities will extend the period for verifying tax payments from one to five years, and the social security contribution period from one to two years.
The changes will also apply to those who applied for Japanese citizenship before April 1, the date on which the new requirements are scheduled to come into force, detailed Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The changes were part of a series of proposals presented in January by the government of conservative Sanae Takaichi, who since coming to power in October last year has emphasized the importance of ensuring the integration of foreign citizens in Japan and asked her cabinet to take measures against illegal residents.
The unprecedented increase in the arrival of tourists to the archipelago, combined with the growth in the number of foreign residents, has generated criticism from some sectors of Japanese society for what they consider to be excessive permissiveness on the part of the authorities regarding immigration.
