Truth be told, having two passports in Japan is not necessarily a problem. If one lived a quiet life, one could conceivably keep renewing a non-Japanese passport ad infinitum. The USG permits dual citizenship and doesn't go out of its way to tell other governments about the nationalities of their citizens. However, as you know, I don't live a quiet life.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Holding two passports in Japan isn’t illegal, but living a low‑profile life is required to avoid scrutiny; Arudou’s active life makes it riskier.
- In plain terms
- Dual citizenship is allowed but draws attention if you’re outspoken.
- What can you take from it?
- Consider the visibility of your lifestyle when holding multiple nationalities.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What are the practical consequences of dual citizenship?
- How does public activity affect legal risk?
Another view
Legal nuances differ by country and may change over time.
More from Debito Arudou
I guess the clarification I should make here is that Japan is as potentially racist as anywhere else, but for a developed country, the legal and social protect…
Permalink to quote #3 Starting from 1993 in Otaru, Hokkaido, and now running unchecked throughout Japan, signs saying 'Japanese Only' have gone up, making an unspoken undercurrent o…
Permalink to quote #5 Other people have called me a 'human rights' activist. I don't mind the label, but I don't think I'd go so far. It puts me on par with other extraordinary acti…
Permalink to quote #2
Related quotes
Beliefs about how you live your life, matters of private decision, views best kept for private enjoyment, prejudice or entertainment, can't be imposed by the o…
John MortimerJohn Mortimer quote #1 When citizens testify before grand juries they are required to tell the truth. Without the truth, our criminal justice system cannot serve our nation or its ci…
Patrick FitzgeraldPatrick Fitzgerald quote #2 I will also continue to strongly oppose any reauthorization of the Patriot Act that does not protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Americans with no c…
Russ FeingoldRuss Feingold quote #3