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Japanese nationality for children: by birth, by acknowledgment and with the parents
A child of a Japanese national is Japanese from birth — but a child born abroad must have the nationality reserved within 3 months. A child acknowledged by a Japanese parent gets it by notification; children of foreign parents naturalize together with them. Every case under the Nationality Act, and the rules for two nationalities.
Checked against the Nationality Act and the Ministry of Justice on 7 October 2026 · All about Japanese citizenship
In short
Which case is yours
Japan follows the right of blood (jus sanguinis): a Japanese parent passes on the nationality, the place of birth does not.
| Situation | How the child becomes Japanese | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Father or mother is Japanese at the time of birth | Automatically, from birth | 2 |
| The same, but born abroad with another nationality at birth | Reserve Japanese nationality within 3 months (国籍留保) | 12 |
| Reservation missed, child under 18 and living in Japan | Notification to the Minister of Justice | 17 |
| Acknowledged by a Japanese parent after birth, under 18 | Notification to the Minister of Justice | 3 |
| Child of a Japanese national, living in Japan, but not Japanese | Naturalization without residence, age or income conditions | 8(1) |
| Foreign parents naturalize | Naturalization together with the parents | in practice |
| Born in Japan to foreign parents | Naturalization after 3 years in Japan | 6(2) |
| Adopted by a Japanese national while a minor | Naturalization after 1 year in Japan | 8(2) |
By birth
A child of a Japanese national is Japanese from birth
If the father or mother is a Japanese national when the child is born, the child is Japanese automatically (Article 2), wherever the birth takes place. A father counts at birth if the parents are married, or if he acknowledged the child before the birth (胎児認知); acknowledgment after birth is a separate route — see below. The child is entered in the Japanese parent’s family register (戸籍) once the birth is reported.
Born abroad. If the child also got another nationality at birth — from the other parent, or from the country of birth — the birth report and a reservation of Japanese nationality (国籍留保) must be filed within 3 months of the birth, at a Japanese embassy or consulate (or at the city office of the family register in Japan). Otherwise the child loses Japanese nationality back to the date of birth (Article 12; Family Register Act Article 104).
If the deadline was missed, a child under 18 can get Japanese nationality back by notification to the Minister of Justice while living in Japan (Article 17).
Acknowledgment (認知)
If the parents were not married
A child acknowledged (認知) by a Japanese father or mother gets Japanese nationality by notification, without naturalization (Article 3), if:
Nationality starts on the day of the notification. It is filed in person at the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) for your address in Japan, or at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad; for a child under 15 the legal representative files.
Together with the parents
Naturalizing as a family
When foreign parents naturalize, their minor children usually apply together with them.
Born in Japan
A child of foreign parents born in Japan
Being born in Japan does not give Japanese nationality by itself: the child gets the parents’ nationality and lives in Japan on a status of residence. For naturalization the law shortens the residence condition (Article 6(2)): 3 years of continuous residence, or none if the father or mother was also born in Japan. The age condition (18+) still applies, so younger children apply with their parents.
The exception: a child born in Japan whose parents are both unknown or stateless is Japanese from birth (Article 2). A child born in Japan stateless and living here for 3 years since birth can naturalize without the age and income conditions (Article 8(4)). The newborn’s status of residence depends on the parents’ status — for example the Dependent visa or Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident.
Dual nationality
Until what age a child can have two nationalities
A child of a Japanese and a foreign parent often gets two nationalities at birth. The law allows this for a time; then one must be chosen (Article 14):
A Japanese national of any age who acquires another nationality voluntarily loses Japanese nationality automatically (Article 11). This also applies to a child whose parents obtained a second nationality for it by application, not by birth. More: dual citizenship and giving up your nationality.
FAQ
Questions about children
Can’t find your question? Write to us — a real person replies.
Sources
Where this information comes from
Facts were checked on 7 October 2026 against the Nationality Act (国籍法) and the Family Register Act (戸籍法) on e-Gov, the website of the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Affairs Bureaus (法務局). The Ministry publishes no figures for some points — how long a trip abroad breaks your residence, what income is enough, how long the review takes. There we rely on what Japanese administrative scriveners (行政書士) consistently report and say “in practice”.
- e-Gov — Nationality Act (国籍法), full text
- Ministry of Justice — Q&A on Japanese nationality and naturalization
- Ministry of Justice — nationality by notification (Article 3)
- Ministry of Justice — choosing a nationality (国籍選択)
- e-Gov — Family Register Act (戸籍法), Articles 104 and 104-2
- Ministry of Justice — how to apply for naturalization (no fee, in person)
This page is general information, not legal advice. The Minister of Justice decides each application, and the Legal Affairs Bureau may ask for more documents. Rules for your current nationality come from your own country’s law.
