Japanese Law - Frequently Asked Questions

We are accumulating a list of questions and will submit them to a lawyer in the future for comment.  Please send your questions to webmaster@crnjapan.com. 

Questions that take more than a couple paragraphs to answer will be made into individual essays.

Q: What happens when an American and a Japanese have a child together? Or What happens when two people of two different country's have a child together? Would the child be American or Japanese?

A:  This depends on many factors, such as whether you are married, where the child is born, whether the Japanese parent registers them on their koseki within certain deadlines, etc.   We have an essay on citizenship that is under construction, but even now will help you understand many of the issues.  Other places to look are in the Nationality Law (cached copy) and the Family Registration Law.  Laws of other countries will vary, but in the United States, you can acquire US nationality by being born inside the country or by being born to a US citizen.   The US allows dual citizenship, but Japan does not.  So there is a clash.

Q: Would a pre-nuptial agreement be effective in preventing some of these problems?

A: TBW

Q: Do you have a sample pre-nuptial agreement in English and Japanese?  (We will prepare one.)

A: TBW

Q: Is Parental Abduction Legal Between Married Japanese Citizens In Japan?

A: TBW

Q: What is a Jyuuminhyou (Zyuuminhyou)?

A: TBW

Q: What is a Koseki Tohon or Family Registration?

A: TBW