I spent four years in a college in Osaka and just graduated. I found a job in a local company and have a stable income. I learned that after legally staying in Japan for five years, one is qualified to apply for Japanese citizenship. I am wondering if my time spent in college counts towards the five-year period. What other requirements do I need to meet in order to become a Japanese citizen?
The requirement for naturalization is a five-year consecutive stay in Japan. Meanwhile. the income and tax payment certificates for three years should be submitted to the authorities for the application in order to examine whether you had or will have a stable job and sound income to be a Japanese national. Therefore, it would not be not possible for the applicant to be naturalized by only one year of work and four years of study in Japan.
To qualify for Japanese naturalization, there are two basic concurrent conditions. Thus, you must have continuously resided in Japan for at least five years and worked in Japan for at least three years. In other words, you must be a taxpayer for at least three fiscal years. So while you may have resided in Japan already for five years, you still need to accumulate three years of employment and show proof of payment of taxes. In addition, Japanese-language proficiency (in reading, writing and speaking) is a requirement. Other requirements pertain to possession of sufficient skills and income to support oneself. Oral and written interviews are also required, and you must also be willing to renounce your foreign citizenship.
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