ppl have written 4 pages without referring to anything. it seems indeed that this forum has gathered the creme de la creme of smart ppl. anrakushi might be excluded since he/she referred to something, it didn't help though. tenchu said some clever things, but....now having come across as the arrogant bastard i am on to the question of the op.
if you are not a celebrity, a former japanese citizen or have ancestors that are/were Japanese u might want to have a look at this.
How I became Japanese ....no, it is not me.
and here is the law.
The Nationality Law
Why is it difficult to find anything official in print on how to become a Japanese citizen? Because it is case by case, my friend.
while i am on it, perhaps i could continue with correcting some of the off-topic remarks too.
1. u don't
get citizenship, u apply for it.
2. in reality u don't need to give up ur present citizenship, in theory however yes.
3. u don't need to be
really fluent in japanese
4. There are indeed quite a couple of differences between being a permanent resident and a japanese citizen. u r allowed to vote, u don't need to carry the highly beloved alien registration card, u don't need to renew ur visa (yes, u do renew a permanent visa too), i believe u still need to get a re-entry permit if u r permanent, some professions exclude foreigners (prime example is of a korean, 在日朝鮮人, who couldn't become boss of something, or the foreigner (i forgot the nationality) who couldn't become even a
volunteer fire-fighter and no need for fingerprinting every time u come back to japan (special permit residents are excluded)
there r of course other differences, but the tend to be more obvious ones or unofficial.
if i find anything wrong in my little essay or if u just think i am unsympathetic u can bash me all u want.
lastly, jpdragon, it's そんな
の関係ねぇ。just thought u wanted to know.