Passport renewal when dual citizen

[Bucky]

Mrs. Bucky obtained US citizenship in 2008. We were doing some estate planning at the time and being a citizen made sense when considering our estate should she survive me.

At the same time, she made a point to renew her Japanese passport to insure that she could maintain her Japanese citizenship for at least the life of the passport. (Yes I know Japan does not officially recognize dual citizenship.)

Well, we are ten years on now and her Japanese passport is coming up for renewal. We are planning a trip to Japan shortly and she is investigating the idea of renewing her Japanese passport in Japan. Going to the consulate here, they would require her to show her greencard -- which she does not have. She is concerned that if she tries to renew her passport in Japan while we are there that the passport folks will not rubber-stamp a new passport for her.

Anyone gone through this sort of experience?

Bucky

[wagyl]

No direct experience, but the application forms require you to enter the address as it appears in your juminhyou, which I suspect may be expunged for Mrs Bucky.
http://www.pref.aichi.jp/uploaded/attachment/232862.png

It is of course no problem from a citizenship perspective to have expunged your juminhyou -- many expat Japanese do so -- however such people will apply for a new passport at the consulate overseas, and as you point out, the consulate will often want to see your right of residence in that foreign land where they are applying.

I would guess that anything even slightly out of the ordinary will make them look twice.

[legion]

As far as I am aware Japan does not allow dual citizenship.

[TennoChinko]

Can you not renounce your original citizenship and hide this from the government(s)?
http://www.turning-japanese.info/2011/0 ... ginal.html

The practical solution, I think, would be to renew one's Japanese passport back in Japan. That would require returning, getting a copy of one's koseki tohon or juminhyo.... not to mention the flight etc.... but reduces the probability of being challenged by overzealous Japanese consular staff in the US.

Traveling on both passports ought not to be a problem ... one would be the same as those dual nationals whose nationality/citizenship was naturally acquired (at birth). My understand is that in the rare event they ever get challenged by Jpn Immigration Officials regarding the legal requirement to decide at age 22... a practical response would be to indicate that it's such a difficult decision that they need more time to decide ... and by no means allow themselves to get coerced into signing any form or statement that renounces their Japanese nationality before consulting a lawyer.

[wangta]

Mrs. Bucky obtained US citizenship in 2008. We were doing some estate planning at the time and being a citizen made sense when considering our estate should she survive me.

At the same time, she made a point to renew her Japanese passport to insure that she could maintain her Japanese citizenship for at least the life of the passport. (Yes I know Japan does not officially recognize dual citizenship.)

Well, we are ten years on now and her Japanese passport is coming up for renewal. We are planning a trip to Japan shortly and she is investigating the idea of renewing her Japanese passport in Japan. Going to the consulate here, they would require her to show her greencard -- which she does not have. She is concerned that if she tries to renew her passport in Japan while we are there that the passport folks will not rubber-stamp a new passport for her.

Anyone gone through this sort of experience?

Bucky

And another pain in the arse and potential trap for Japanese expats - the same bullshit that Japan pulls on gaijin who are classified as PR after 5 out of the last 10 yrs being spent in Japan but not given real PR but instead told to declare their worldwide income, is also waiting for the Japanese.

In fact the scummy tax laws on this were made to catch Japanese supposedly 'hiding' their wealth overseas, right - some bank accounts and financial investments with interest etc are lumped with the truly big money rich Japanese have stashed outside Japan. Check all this out, Bucky. You and your wife could find yourselves the subject of a lot of attention on that count.

The Jp govt's tax collectors have no shame - if you live in Japan as a gaijin with this bullshit only PR for tax collection status, it is stated that the J govt tax agency has the right to any inheritance you get if your fam dies. Note you don't have to be wealthy from this - they feel they are entitled to a cut of any monies from this. You should check out the internet on your wife's position here to avoid being screwed financially.

[legion]

Though I share your pain, there is no doubt a lot of rich Japanese have stashed their money abroad. Moreover, with simplistic Abenomics & Mr Kuroda pumping the stock market, it is likely there is a constant outflow of money flowing out of Japan which was supposed to be stimulating the domestic economy.

But I work in Aoyama and see a lot of very expensive cars driven by trophy wives & greasy suits. I doubt any of them have really worked for their money, just played the casino in multiples of always win if you are part of the inner circle.

[Bucky]

Follow-up. Mrs. Bucky was able to successfully renew her Japanese passport for another 10 years. Apparently the renewal went off without a hitch and she departed Japan two weeks ago -- exiting with the Japanese passport and re-entering the US on her American passport. We will see if she gets any taxation notifications but she is listed as a Japanese residing overseas.

[Taro Toporific]

Follow-up. Mrs. Bucky was able to successfully renew her Japanese passport for another 10 years. Apparently the renewal went off without a hitch and she departed Japan two weeks ago -- exiting with the Japanese passport and re-entering the US on her American passport...

Thanks for the info.
It's always hard to find out trustworthy, "real-world" examples of what actually happens.

(Every time I go through Japanese Immigration at Narita, I expect flashing lights and klaxon horns to go off, a huge net dropping from the ceiling to drag me to the trapdoor that has a vacuum to suck me down into the cages of the deep sub-basements of the Gaijin Gulag and electrified anal probes.)

[Wage Slave]

Follow-up. Mrs. Bucky was able to successfully renew her Japanese passport for another 10 years. Apparently the renewal went off without a hitch and she departed Japan two weeks ago -- exiting with the Japanese passport and re-entering the US on her American passport...

Thanks for the info.
It's always hard to find out trustworthy, "real-world" examples of what actually happens.

(Every time I go through Japanese Immigration at Narita, I expect flashing lights and klaxon horns to go off, a huge net dropping from the ceiling to drag me to the trapdoor that has a vacuum to suck me down into the cages of the deep sub-basements of the Gaijin Gulag and electrified anal probes.)

Indeed. That's useful information and thank you. Havill must be fuming at his console.

[Takechanpoo]

pathetic alien weathercocks can just eternally see japan and japanese thorough gaijin tour bus windows.

[Russell]

Follow-up. Mrs. Bucky was able to successfully renew her Japanese passport for another 10 years. Apparently the renewal went off without a hitch and she departed Japan two weeks ago -- exiting with the Japanese passport and re-entering the US on her American passport...

Thanks for the info.
It's always hard to find out trustworthy, "real-world" examples of what actually happens.

(Every time I go through Japanese Immigration at Narita, I expect flashing lights and klaxon horns to go off, a huge net dropping from the ceiling to drag me to the trapdoor that has a vacuum to suck me down into the cages of the deep sub-basements of the Gaijin Gulag and electrified anal probes.)

Indeed. That's useful information and thank you. Havill must be fuming at his console.

Nah, he probably only reads J-language these days...

[wagyl]

J-language.

Is that anything like Japanese?

[Russell]

J-language.

Is that anything like Japanese?

Yep, but I use the phrase J-"something", because that was what annoyed Mr. H. the most...

[wagyl]

Is it wrong to admit that people talking of going from their J-job to their J-house in their J-car to see the J-wife gives me not only the J-shits, but global-shits?

Maybe I'm not at Havill's cosmic-shits level.

It is pretty amazing that one expression can be condescending to the Japanese, while pandering to nihonjinron exceptionalism at the same time.

[Wage Slave]

I don't know, it can certainly be overused as can any manner of speaking, but is it always bad?

How about J-Pop? How about using Brit as an abbreviation the same way? Oz? Aussie?

We could easily use Jap but that is connotationally unsound. And Japanese is sometimes a bit long, formal and hence insufficiently chummy (as is the way with formal English) so I'd say J + noun has a useful place.

[Mike Oxlong]

I don't know, it can certainly be overused as can any manner of speaking, but is it always bad?

How about J-Pop? How about using Brit as an abbreviation the same way? Oz? Aussie?

We could easily use Jap but that is connotationally unsound. And Japanese is sometimes a bit long, formal and hence insufficiently chummy (as is the way with formal English) so I'd say J + noun has a useful place.

I agree. Naturally context is key. One can usually tell if the poster is being familiar or condescending. I don't like it as a term of derision any more than Havill or wagyl do, but it does have it's place as a friendly in-group shorthand.

[Grumpy Gramps]

...a friendly in-group shorthand...

That is how I look at it as well. Nothing derogatory about it in my mind, as there would be if we used the term "Jap" or "Nip" or "yellow monkey".

[Takechanpoo]

so-called derogatory words are just the ones which certain amount of people have used in negative context for a certain period of time. nothing more, nothing less. jap itself, nip itself, yellow itself, oriental itself, chink itself, gook itself, etc are not derogatory at all. so if those so-called derogatory words are used in positive context by certain amont of people for a certain period of time, they will be positive cool words. the nuances of words are nothing more, nothing less. its pretty fucking redicurous and hypocritical to ban using those so-called derogatory words itself.

[wagyl]

so-called derogatory words are just the ones which certain amount of people have used in negative context for a certain period of time. nothing more, nothing less. jap itself, nip itself, yellow itself, oriental itself, chink itself, gook itself, etc are not derogatory at all. so if those so-called derogatory words are used in positive context by certain amont of people for a certain period of time, they will be positive cool words. the nuances of words are nothing more, nothing less. its pretty fucking redicurous and hypocritical to ban using those so-called derogatory words itself.

You are a fuckwit. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Redicurous! Remember to spell it correctly by saying "ridicure." R-e-d spelling is a standard native error.

As to the other posters, I suppose it is really the J-wife example which gets my goat the most. I severely doubt that J-wives are really fundamentally different from NJ-wives, nor do I believe that they are so much alike each other and at the same time so different from all other groups as to be an identifiable and exclusive group themselves.

[Grumpy Gramps]

Apart from this thread, the term "j-wife" has - according to Google - been used twice in the last three years on this site. Could be worse?

[wagyl]

I suppose you are right. viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9940 Actually knocked into its proper place quite quickly, too.

I suppose I should just read these examples like the J-school one.

[Takechanpoo]

the nuances of any words are always open to changes. banning to use those "derogatory" words themselves by political power is equivalent to immobilize the nuances to be negative forever. its way too fucking ridicurous.