Yokohammer wrote:Samurai_Jerk wrote:I get it and I'm not saying that I agree with the idea of excluding foreigners from welfare. Especially not permanent residents, special or otherwise. However, by choosing not to become a citizen you have to accept that you'll never have the full rights of a Japanese national and the rights you do have can change for better or for worse with less controversy and push back than taking the rights away from citizens.
Understood and agreed. This is all a part of the thinking process that has me in sort of a stalemate.
The trouble is that there is this idea of monogamy about citizenship - as if it is a kind of marriage. By choosing Japanese citizenship you must agree to forsake all others forever which I don't agree with at all and in the case of people from a mixed background is simply at odds with the reality.
I dislike the way these people are saying "regardless of whether they pay Japanese tax or not" when they know full well that we are all required to pay Japanese tax not only on our income here but also on income generated outside Japan with funds and assets that have no historical connection with Japan whatsoever.
So Havil said earlier that if you find yourself in dire straits, for whatever reason, then you should seek assistance from your country of origin, not the place where you live and pay taxes to the communal pot. How far does this rather one sided view of citizenship stretch then? If I develop a medical condition that requires expensive treatment, should that also be denied me on the same grounds?