Can Caucasians live in Japan without being born there legally and not have to carry around VISAs and Passports all of the time? I know you have to have them when you re visiting, but what if you become a legal citizen? And would you be considered a Japanese citizen if you become a citizen?
It doesn t matter your ethnic background or nationality. You can become a citizen of whatever country as long as you qualify and go through the proper process and registration. Japanese have a bit of a complex with who is Japanese. Technically you are a Japanese CITIZEN, but you will never be considered by the people as a Japanese (not ethnically, just nationally). I noticed people touched racism in Japan. Well I just came back from there. There are some racists, actually there is a group who have a japan for japanese only theory you will see them in black vans shouting propaganda. It s not the same racism as American racism, its more of a xenophobic idea. But don t be discouraged, I have received nothing but kindness from everyone and questions about my home country. My thoughts may be different from others though, because as a black person I have experienced blatant racism, so the things people say about japanese racism I find to mostly be trival things. It depends on the person.
I m not sure what you mean by legally because to be a Japanese citizen you must either have a Japanese father to allow you onto the family register (koseki) which officially makes you Japanese or you could naturalize just as there are immigrants all over the world. If by legally you mean that you have visas to live/work there then I think the kid may get the visa automatically to stay there too but that s not the same as being a citizen. If people were on vacation in Japan and had a kid there, the kid would not be Japanese. As far as treating you like a Japanese, no if you look foreign, even if you have naturalized and become a citizen, even if you were born there and went through their entire education system, you will always be foreign. A lot of half children get picked on even if they don t know their foreign parent and have never been outside Japan. A lot of others who look different get picked on even if they are 100% Japanese. There are also Chinese and Korean immigrants who have had to hide their ethnic origin due to legal discrimination. Times are changing but since Japan s population is still overwhelmingly Japanese (99%), most have never met a foreigner so it s likely to be an encounter of fascination or discrimination.
many non japanese live in japan, the largest group is koreans, and they make 1% of the japanese population, but the thing is that koreans look sort of like japanese, but caucasions look like foreigners, most japanese are nice to foreigners, but there have been some whites that complain of racism there, you can read about racism in japan on wikipedia more
Japanese citizenship can be obtained if you have lived in Japan more than 7-8 years, have solid job and pay taxes, or have Japanese spouse and children with Japanese citizenship. Race doesn t matter from legal point of view. In social, however, you ll always be an outsider.
Foreigners (regardless of race) can become legal residents or citizens of Japan. You will have to carry around a resident alien ID (which is required of all foreigners residing in Japan.) In terms of attitude that you will face, the majority of people will be nice to you and will not be rude in front of you.
japanese people are nice to everyone! even the few that might secretley discriminate, are nice to you. they are respectful people, to everyone.(even if they hate you) i love japan. havent met one quot;meanquot; person.. been here 7 years. but i have run into some quot;no forgeinerquot; signs at bars, but usually once they hear i speak japanese, they let me in..
You should imagine this situation, quot;one white girl surrounded by 50 african woman.quot; this is wats gonna happen to you in Japan. Yes, there is racism but you will not experience racism.Not like racism against Asians in the USA. Asian people experience racism at daily basis there.
Yes, Just off the top of my head; Sally Atisano e (AKA KONISHIKI), Chad Rowan (AKA Akebono), Chris Yule, Guy Ramos, and C.W. Nichols have become Japanese citizens. It s a little known fact, but Sadaharu Oh isn t a Japanese citizen.
Inside Japan, most immigration related matters, such as extending residence permission, changing status of residence or obtaining a re-entry permit, are handled by the Immigration Bureau (nyukoku kanrikyoku), which has branches across the country. Alien registration All foreigners, who stay in Japan for more than 90 days, need to apply for an alien registration card within the first 90 days of their stay. Applications are to be made at the local municipal office (e.g. city hall). The alien registration card is an important document required for opening a bank account, obtaining a cell phone and similar activities. Foreign residents are required to carry their alien registration card with them at all times. Extending residence permission Most statuses of residence allow you to stay in Japan for a period of three months, six months, one year, two years or three years. If you wish to stay longer, you must apply for an extension at an immigration bureau inside Japan before the expiry date of your current residence permission. The application process is relatively simple, provided that you still fulfill the conditions for the specific status of residence. It typically takes a couple of days or weeks for the application to be processed, and you are allowed to remain in Japan during that time even if your previous residence permission expires in the meantime. Changing status of residence It is possible to change your status of residence (e.g. from temporary visitor to instructor or from student to engineer) at an immigration bureau inside Japan. You will have to provide similar documentation, as you would have to when applying at an embassy or consulate outside of Japan. Re-entry permits Foreign residents who wish to temporarily leave Japan, need to get a re-entry permit, otherwise, they lose their status of residence upon leaving Japan. Single or multiple use re-entry permits can be obtained at immigration offices (and some airports in case of emergencies). Permanent residence Foreign residents who have shown good conduct and have sufficient assets or ability to make an independent living, can be granted permanent residence if they reside in Japan for typically ten or more consecutive years (less in case of spouses of Japanese nationals and people who have made significant contributions to Japanese society). Permanent residence status is indefinite and allows any paid activity. Naturalization Foreigners, who have resided in Japan for at least five consecutive years (less if married to a Japanese national), have shown good conduct, have never plotted against the Japanese government, have sufficient assets or ability to make an independent living and are willing to renounce any other citizenship held, can be granted Japanese citizenship.
