How can I become a Citizen of Japan?

I want to move to Japan and become a citizen�cbut what do I do? I don�ft want to have to get married though. Is there tests? Do I need to pay an arm and a leg?
By the way I�fm an American woman.
Please help me out.

yuikai123,

Once you have lived in Japan for at least 10 years or so, you could probably try applying for citizenship - sooner if you are a sumo wrestler or other professional athlete.
Oh, and you do have a university degree, right?
But if you have never even set foot in the country, don't you think it would be sensible to spend at least some time there first before even contemplating naturalization?

You cannot just move to Japan and become a citizen. First you need to live in Japan on a residence permitting visa (usually a working visa or spouse visa) for a minimum of 5 years (in practice though usually more than 10 years), and then fill out a lot of application paperwork, attend interviews etc. You will need to have fluent spoken Japanese and very good written Japanese language skills.

I think you are getting the idea that thinking about becoming a citizen when you are not even living in Japan is a bit premature. What were you planning to do in Japan if you came here? How are your Japanese language skills? What kind of work do you think you would do?

Why do you want to become a citizen of Japan? Most people are happy to be here on a working visa or spouse visa and eventually apply for permanent residence if they plan to stay long term. Relatively few people ever become Japanese citizens. I am a New Zealander who has lived in Japan for 12 years, and I am not a Japanese citizen, nor do I ever plan to become one.

I bet the OP never even visited Japan. Japan is the only country I know where people are willing to give up their citizenship without even visiting there.

I plan on living there for the greater part of my life.
I plan on being a teacher. I have two Associates Degrees. One of my degrees is in Japanese as a Second language, so my Japanese skills are fairly high. I want to have dual citizenship for both USA and Japan.
And Yes I have been there before. That�fs just dumb of me to want to do all this and to have never even been there.

Forget about citizenship for now, and focus on the short term as you currently don't qualify for any visas that would allow you to live and work in Japan long term. You would either need a bachelor's degree or extensive work experience as a teacher for immigration to grant you a work visa. Right now the quickest way for you to move to Japan long term would be to go back to school and work towards a bachelor's degree. Then only after 5-10 years of living in Japan should you consider converting to Japanese citizenship.

Also be aware that it impossible for someone over 23 years old to legally hold dual US and Japanese citizenship.

Can I look for a new job while just Staying in Japan? Let�fs just say I stay for about 3 months Could I find a place that could sparser my work visa? Because I mean I�fll be there on a tourist visa Would that be a problem?

Yes, you can do that, however that doesn't change the fact that you still need the bachelor's degree to qualify for a work visa. Without one your visa application will not be approved by immigration.

oh OK. Thank you for your imput. I wonder if my two degrees would combine to be a bachelors?

Let's say, the Same situation as before, but if I didn't go to teach... would I still need a bachelors degree?
Do you know if a corp. could even hire me?... sponsor my visa maybe?

That's a bit shocking to read a lot of replies that are more trying to persuade the author of the post to forget the idea of being a japanese citizen, than replies that are answering to the question.

Each one can have it's own opinion about what it means.

Yuikai123,

oh OK. Thank you for your imput. I wonder if my two degrees would combine to be a bachelors?

No, they don't. Not as far as immigration is concerned.

Let's say, the Same situation as before, but if I didn't go to teach... would I still need a bachelors degree?

Yes, you still need a bachelor's degree. That is an immigration requirement for ALL work visas.

Marsu,

That's a bit shocking to read a lot of replies that are more trying to persuade the author of the post to forget the idea of being a japanese citizen, than replies that are answering to the question.

Actually no one has told the original poster not to do it, and the process has been explained rather clearly. It is a long process to go through with more important intermediary steps, with an end result that holds little overall benefit over permanent residence. With upcoming changes to the law, those few advantages may disappear altogether. And ultimately, it will probably be a disadvantage concerning the original poster's stated plans.

Currently Japan does not allow people over 22 to hold dual citizenship. If someone becomes a Japanese citizen they are required to renounce any other citizenship they may hold.

It doesn't matter whether you are teaching or working for a corporation, the basic requirement for a working visa is a bachelor's degree. If you hire an immigration lawyer he/she may be able to persuade immigration to accept your two associate's degrees in lieu of a bachelor's, but first you need to find a job. Without excellent Japanese skills you would need a very impressive resume for a company here to hire you, and would be limited to working in IT, finance or perhaps marketing. Entry level jobs for non-Japanese are very rare, and usually require business level Japanese ability.

The market for English teaching jobs is tight right now, but it is still possible to find jobs if you interview well. You would increase your chances greatly if you had a bachelor's degree, as many schools would probably be reluctant to hire someone who may then not be able to get a working visa.