Half japanese deciding on citizenship

I'm 18, czech-japanese living in Czech republic. Mum's czech, dad japanese. He works overseas, but we write each other email sometimes. I don't know whether to keep czech or japanese citizenship, but I personally HATE Czech republic. I want to live in Japan, but I don't know any japanese and due to personal problems, I dropped out of high school. However, everyone(including my dad) said getting a japanese citizenship would be better for me. I want to work as a concept artist or character designer for anime/video games.
Also, my dad is very old and doesn't have enough money to pay for int.school in Japan.
Should I finish high school or learn japanese first?

I appreciate any opinion or help. I can also provide more info. Thank you for reading

Japan would be a very, very, very hard place to live in, if you don't have any education, and cannot speak Japanese. Basically, I think it would be almost impossible for you to get a job. There is no way you could get any job in amine or computer animation with your current position. You would be competing against people who have a native understanding of the language and culture, and in many cases, they would have attended specialist training schools.

Finish high school, learn Japanese, get some college in.

Finish high school, learn Japanese, get some college in.

This is excatly same as what I was writing.

If your father is a "baburu (bubble) -sedai" person or older, who lived in Japan at booming time, he may believe that you can find any job without a degree, even high school deploma as long as you have motivation (and citizenship).
But, today, reality is like what the poster above mentioned.

If I were you, I woul do both finishing high school and learning Japanese at the same time.

I generally agree with the above - without education the best job you could hope for would be manual labor, so I ask - do you have any experience in construction, automotive, gutting fish, etc.?

Also - getting Japanese nationality is a legal process completely unrelated to education and work. It essentially would require submitting the proper birth records and attestations from your father. Is this possible? You could check with the nearest Japanese embassy on what would be required.

OP already has Japanese citizenship, assuming her dad properly registered her birth with the Japanese authorities (otherwise it gets complicated). There is also no need to choose between both citizenships; although it is true that you are in principle supposed to choose, even the MoJ openly acknowledges that nobody has ever been stripped of their Japanese citizenship for failing to do so.

Thank you for your answers. I definitely want to finish high school. I don't think I can learn japanese and study at the same time, since I'm a slow learner and I can focus on only one thing

I called the embassy and they said that I need to choose one before I turn 22 .If I keep czech citizenship and finish high school, they'd let me study in Japan for free(not sure for how long). However, I'd have to pass some kind of test, so it's not guaranteed, but it does sound promising.

Also yes, my dad registered me

I called the embassy and they said that I need to choose one before I turn 22

That's what they always say. If you don't, nothing will happen.

However...

If I keep czech citizenship and finish high school, they'd let me study in Japan for free(not sure for how long). However, I'd have to pass some kind of test, so it's not guaranteed, but it does sound promising.

... they were probably talking about the MEXT scholarship for undergraduates (Google that). Japanese citizens are not eligible for it, so if you want to apply for it you must prove that you are not a Japanese citizen; in your case, this means that you must abandon your Japanese citizenship.

It's really up to you, but here are some facts that may guide you to the right direction.

1. There is no penalty for keeping dual citizenship. They might send you warnings, but they cannot arrest you or even fine you. You can still live like you always have, and you can travel to other countries including Japan.

2. Lots of teenagers hate the country they live in, including Japan.

3. Concept artist or character designer for anime/video games jobs are actually not so difficult to get if you speak/write Japanese fluently. But most people drop out very quickly since they require very hard work for very little money.

4. There are many scholarships for Japanese residents too, even though some are like student loans that you need to pay back later.

5. There is no age limit to attend public schools in Japan. In other words, you can go to elementary school or junior high school in Japan where tuition and entrance is basically free, as long as you haven't graduated one in Japan.

6. You need a guarantor to live in Japan, even if you're Japanese.

By the way, you say that everyone insists on you choosing Japanese nationality. What kind of options do they have in mind about how and where you can live with that nationality? It's true that Japan is no paradise, but they may have nice options/connections in mind that you may as well try.

I advise you to have an official copy of koseki tohon of yourself, and keep it forever, if possible.
otherwise, you might lose the proof that you are a Japanese, if your father dies accidentally.

getting Japanese nationality is a legal process completely unrelated to education and work. It essentially would require submitting the proper birth records and attestations from your father.

The first two advices posted above the advice with this, are not saying that "education and work are indispensable to get Japan nationality or visa.
However, this is true, you need the proper birth records, if you have no Japan naitonality but want it.
In that case, please be careful with "I am an immigration specialist" lawyer.

If you already have Japanese naitonality, keeping koseki tohon as adviced bu another guy would be a good idea.
Especially if your father is old and you have no relation with Japanese relatived at all.

There is also no need to choose between both citizenships; although it is true that you are in principle supposed to choose, even the MoJ openly acknowledges that nobody has ever been stripped of their Japanese citizenship for failing to do so.

This is true, but improper to be said here as it is illegal (国籍法第１４条第１項) even if you are not arrested.
I hope nobody copys this page and spray on the internet or report to immigation, otherwise this site will be a bad site.
Firas, if you are living in Japan, should you please respect the rule of Japan.

hope nobody copys this page and spray on the internet or report to immigation, otherwise this site will be a bad site.

Dual citizenship has been discussed before on this forum along the lines of this page, and has caused no problem to this website as far as I know. Many people interpret the law as "you need to keep trying to choose, but you are not really forced to choose".

By the way, the Ministry's website also only says 日本の国籍を失うことがあります (there is a possibility of you loosing Japanese nationality) if you don't choose one by a certain time.
http://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji06.html

I'm not discussing the dual citizenship topic any more, because (A) it has been discussed on other threads and (B) it is not the original question.

Firas, if you are living in Japan, should you please respect the rule of Japan.

Don't worry, I have no plan to ever acquire Japanese citizenship, heaven forbid.

Other than that, I am exercising my freedom of speech (which Japan still has, last I checked, although I understand that great efforts are underway to undermine it) by stating a fact, as many MoJ officials have done before me. Are you going to tell them to "respect the rule of Japan"?

Hi, thank you all again. I'll ask my dad to send me a copy of koseki tohon.
.. they were probably talking about the MEXT scholarship for undergraduates (Google that). Japanese citizens are not eligible for it, so if you want to apply for it you must prove that you are not a Japanese citizen; in your case, this means that you must abandon your Japanese citizenship.
Yikes..thank you for telling me this. There's no way I'd be able to pass the test.

Thank you Uco for enlightening me, I'll keep these in mind. BTW
6. You need a guarantor to live in Japan, even if you're Japanese.
What do you mean by this? Do I need my dad to live with me? Sorry for asking.
And I think it's because they hate it here too. Czech rep. isn't good for young people, there's no future for them(at least that's what they're saying). Many czech parents wish for their kids to live somewhere else so they can have a brighter future
I hope I won't get into trouble if I keep dual citizenship by the time I'm 23/24(since I want to finish high school here)

Do remember that Czech citizenship implies EU citizenship, which essentially gives you citizenship in all 28 (27 soon) EU countries. Think hard before giving that up.

3. Concept artist or character designer for anime/video games jobs are actually not so difficult to get if you speak/write Japanese fluently. But most people drop out very quickly since they require very hard work for very little money.[/

Incorrect. The character designers are on the top of all the animators in their hierarchy and it's not something that everyone can become.
This answerer mixes up things.

Dual citizenship has been discussed before on this forum along the lines of this page, and has caused no problem to this website as far as I know. Many people interpret the law as "you need to keep trying to choose, but you are not really forced to choose".

By the way, the Ministry's website also only says 日本の国籍を失うことがあります (there is a possibility of you loosing Japanese nationality) if you don't choose one by a certain time.
http://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji06.html

I'm not discussing the dual citizenship topic any more, because (A) it has been discussed on other threads and (B) it is not the original question.

But you did :D
I am sure this website will be in trouble, as long as illegal stuff is promoted by you and Firas.

Firas, freedom of spesch is recognized, but therefore you must be responsible to comment on public.
And, it is not you do dual citizen or not, it is that you should not have said that illegal thing as an advice.

Anyway, my answer to question is, finish high school, study Japanese, obey the Japan law if you live in Japan.

Aneweer,


6. You need a guarantor to live in Japan, even if you're Japanese.
What do you mean by this? Do I need my dad to live with me?

No, it doesn't have to be your dad. A guarantor (hoshounin) needs to be a responsible adult earning income, but it doesn't have to be family. Ask your dad for details. You can also ask your local Japanese Embassy, and they will most likely direct you to a contact where you can learn proper details about living in Japan (so that you don't have to turn to random anonymous internet users like me who may often be wrong).

And I think it's because they hate it here too. Czech rep. isn't good for young people, there's no future for them(at least that's what they're saying). Many czech parents wish for their kids to live somewhere else so they can have a brighter future

Like I said, a lot of Japanese kids hate it here in Japan. Many people think that Japan isn't good for young people, there's no future for them (at least that's what they're saying). Many Japanese parents wish for their kids to live somewhere else so they can have a brighter future. Just my two cents.

I hope I won't get into trouble if I keep dual citizenship by the time I'm 23/24(since I want to finish high school here)

Actually, you should seek advise from law experts. I wonder if you can get some free law consulting service. There are many in Japan.

A guest wrote:
the character designers are on the top of all the animators in their hierarchy and it's not something that everyone can become.

You're talking about the people who get credited.

To とある日本人
何か誤解なさったようですが、はからずも不快な思いをさせてしまったのでしたらお詫び申し上げます。

With Koseki Tohon in hand, I would reccomend that you have a Japanese passport issued at the embassy. In addition to keeping the Koseki Tohon, take note of where it was issued, just in case you need to get it re-issued. Your father can tell you.

Don`t worry about holding dual. if you ever decide to give up the Japan one, it will not matter how long you waited to do so. No real life problems occur on the Japan side, to the best of my knowledge.

I agree with とある日本人.
Some "global" people tend to make light of local rules and even laws sometimes.
The definition of "law" is not if there is penalties but is if it is written in the law.
Uno is intentionally missing official sentences.
Japanese nationality law clearly says, Japanese nationals who have foreign citizenship HAVE TO select if they take Japanese nationality or not.
http://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/kokusekiho.html

@Uco
You're talking about the people who get credited.
You are mixing up animators who aren't credit and character designer, who is generally one or two famous animator to design characters.