double natinality

Hello,

I've been trying to figure out he process for renewing my Japanese passport.

I became a US national at the age of 20 and I did not have the foresight to renew my passport in Japan before it expired.

I now want to return to Japan to work. However, establishing residency is quite tricky with an expired passport.

My father registered me in his koseki and I also have honseki in Kyushu. However, before we left Japan, he applied for the tenshitsu todoke (notifying japanese authorities that he/our family would be leaving japan to live abroad).

According my father it is impossible to to re-establish residency in Japan without notifying the city hall that I have returned to Japan to live (tennyu todoke).

In order to do a tennyu todoke, you need to demonstrate your koseki, honseki, and your japanese passport showing the authorities the port of entry and time of entry into the Japan.

How would i do this with an expired passport? I entered Japan using my US passport...

So technically, I although i still have japanese nationality, I cannot legally reestablish residency nor get my Passport renewed.

Can someone please help me? or Advise me on what is the best process?

Answer very much appreciated,
M

I think your best option right now is to call one of the Japanese consulates in the US and ask them for their advice. My guess is that if you talk to somebody in Japan, they're going to say no to you as soon as you start talking. In that regard, the folks in America are a little more lenient.

From my understanding though, after talking to the people at the Los Angeles consulate and having renewed my Japanese passport a couple years back, you most likely gave up your Japanese citizenship simultaneously with gaining American citizenship.

That being said though, call somebody in America and they'll be more than happy to help out.

As Bean said, my understanding is when you gained US citizenship, you gave up your Japanese citizenship. Ask your local Japanese consulate. That's the only sure way to know.

Just take a recent copy of your koseki and take it to the city hall, along with your US passport. The passport doesn't have to be a Japanese one. If you're a Japanese national, proved by the koseki, they're required to provide you services. The passport, regardless of the color, is simply to record when you entered Japan so they can charge you taxes and NHI accordingly. They may forward that info to the Ministry of Justice and then it's up to the MoJ to strip you of your nationality.

The worst that can happen is that you lose your Japanese nationality. Then, you can just apply for the child visa and continue living and working in Japan as you please.

Personally, I don't think you'll lose your nationality. I think it's just an empty threat by the MoJ that you'll automatically lose your JN if you take up another nationality as an adult.

US do not allow dual nationality. Of course they won't impound your Japanese passport when your US passport was issued because they do not have any authority to do so.

I agree that you should take your expired Japanese passport and relevant documents to the Japanese Consulate for advice, stating that you are planning to resume residence in Japan. I'm sure they will halp you.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Forest/4037/questio...

http://www.gcnet.at/citizenship/option-system.htm

It seems complicated. You need to ask the authority.

Anyone born before 1985 can have two passports some grey area in American Japan relations.
I came over and just got my Juminhio and Koseki from my honseki on the Japanese passport. Then again my passport wasnt expired so I didnt have anyproblems using it.

That is for people who were born with both Japanese and US citizenship. (born in the US to Japanese parents).

The OP was born with only Japanese citizenship and then got US citizenship afterwards. That makes it a completely different story and out of the "gray area" you're referring to...