Isabel Reynolds, AP, December 5, 2008
Japan on Friday passed a bill to grant citizenship to more children born out of wedlock to foreign women and Japanese men, in a change that has sparked calls from lawmakers for DNA testing to prevent fraud.
The fuss over the amendment, which could affect thousands of children, underscores Japan’s sensitivity over homogeneity, seen as a barrier to immigration that could help the country ease the problems of its aging population.
Under the new law, children of Japanese fathers and non-Japanese mothers may apply for nationality at any time before the age of 20, provided their father has acknowledged them, the Justice Ministry said.
Previously, the father had to claim the child before birth, or marry the mother before the child reached the age of 20, to enable him or her to become Japanese.
That rule was effectively overturned in June when the Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by 10 Japanese-Filipino children living in Japan that it was unconstitutional to limit nationality to those whose parents were married.
Since the late 1970s, thousands of Filipino women have moved to Japan to work as entertainers. Many have had children with Japanese men.
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“If a law like this is misused, what will happen to the Japanese identity?” the English-language daily Japan Times quoted right-wing lawmaker Takeo Hiranuma as saying last month.
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Since the Supreme Court ruling, about 130 children have applied for citizenship ahead of the passage of the bill. The Justice Ministry estimates the change could affect hundreds of children every year.
Japan did not grant nationality to children of Japanese women and foreign fathers until 1985, but this is now a matter of course.
Original article
(Posted on December 5, 2008)
Comments
Since the Supreme Court ruling, about 130 children have applied for citizenship ahead of the passage of the bill.
Wow, 130 children from Filipinos! The equivalent in the United States would be 500 children born to American men dating Russian women being denied US citizenship. Instead, we have 20 million Mexicans, Haitians stampeding in Walmart and Somalis in Maine. Japan’s “problems” look pretty good from here.
“If a law like this is misused what will happen to the Japanese identity”?,,,
The other old argument about immigration being “good” because of an aging population is a canard.
I have been to Japan many times and always came away impressed with their ability to remain Japanese. Opening the floodgates of immigration will only destroy a decent, homogenous first world nation. White nations should take notice.
The 130 Filipinos are a non-problem in a nation with a million times that many inhabitants. If their fathers acknowledge them, presumably they will take the family names of their fathers. A generation from now, nobody will know or even care.
I don’t agree with this,same as I don’t agree with thousands of foreigners flooding into white countries.Japan is a first class country because of it’s people and miscegenation could destroy this.
“I have been to Japan many times and always came away impressed with their ability to remain Japanese.”
I have been to Japan too and there are easy and obvious reasons the East Asian countries do not get as many immigrants from other parts of this world. Japan is a wonderful, marvelous country indeed.
But anyways regarding why there aren’t as many immigrants to Japan
1. Many Mexicans in USA simply jumped over the fence to get there, whereas if you want to get to Japan, you will have to swim for many hours.
Thank Christ for Japan! She is the best rhetorical tool we have to persuade fellow whites to think in racial terms. Japan is a first rate nation, proud of her ethnic heritage, and most importantly not white.
Well, it’s good to see the global oligarchy isn’t just picking on whites any more.
To the 1:11 PM poster: these are all good guesses, but when you think about it, maybe only (2) really makes sense here.
Consider: England is also an island on the edge of an ocean, but unlike Japan, is surrounded by wealthy nations. Japan, on the other hand, is adjacent to 1.3 billion impoverished Chinese, 90 million Vietnamese, 200 million Indonesians, Cambodians, Burmese, etc. So distance is not the issue.
England and nearby European countries (Netherlands) are as or even more densely populated than Japan, but both have received huge numbers of immigrants. So density is not the issue.
As to the language barrier: there are currently more Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic than Japan (another knock against the distance factor). The Slavic Czech language is not much easier to learn than Japanese, but the Vietnamese there are creating their own Czech language schools for their kids. So the language barrier is not insurmountable at all.
That leaves welfare. And I’m not even sure about that one, except in the case of Somalis — who clearly prefer Nordic nations on the basis of their welfare systems. No — it’s enforcement, buttressed by a sense of ethnic solidarity unparalleled anywhere in the world.
My entire stay in Japan was great. Its the most industrialized homogeneous nation on the planet.. The most polite people as a nation in the world (from my point of view and experience).
I thought Tokyo was diverse, but its quite the contrary. Almost everywhere you go, you see Japanese faces.
5.28
I was stationed in Sasebo,Japan from 1994-1995 and it was a beatiful country with a beautiful culture! Glad to see that Japan is sticking to their guns concerning this issue.
I known one ex-military who ended up staying in Japan and learning the language. He saw the problems of American way back in the early 90’s. Boy, if he could see what this country has become!
Nice job Japan and keep respecting your country and hertiage! America take heed!!!
