| > you must present a compelling case to do so Nope. You must give a reason statement but it doesn't need to be compelling. > you must speak, read, and write Japanese to the level required by compulsory education Technically true but misleading - yes it's permitted to leave school at 14 in Japan, but very few children do. > must demonstrate that you can and will supporting yourself financially Up to a point. It's more "must have a household income equivalent to a minimum-wage full-time job, or equivalent lump sum assets, and not be behind on your taxes". > nominally must be married to a Japanese citizen What? No. > Japan does not allow dual citizenship. If you naturalize, you are required to show proof that you have surrendered any non-Japanese citizenship. Right, which is exactly what makes "less than 9,000 foreigners" a very misleading figure. Naturalisation gains you little compared to living as a foreign permanent resident, and requires renouncing citizenship, so most people don't. |