NEED HELP!! BIG DECISION! Dual citizenship related>> what are my options?

[hafuchann]

Hi, I would appreciate any comment/advice so please, if you have something to say, please do say it.

I currently am a student, and well, I have the problem of having dual-citizenship. While I have grown up in the Western society, and so it makes sense to live in one. Although I have been brought up in the Western society, I have been involved in many things throughout my life which has kept me connected to Japan. (Such as learning about the Japanese society from older and other people within my community, parents are Japanese teachers, takes Japanese classes, participates in local Japan Society events, surrounded by Japanese friends and families, and basically, I have been brought up in the Western society, but I have been brought up with the Japanese culture and families who have migrated from Japan.) Even though I have been brought up with the knowledge of Japanese culture in a Western society, I also do have quite an extensive knowledge on Western culture, which is expected of me because I've been brought up in one! The thing is, because I live in a Western society, it's been easier for me to be kept up-to-date with everything in this society (such as slang, or the latest jokes/movies/tv shows/singers/actors.. just being able to know what everyone is talking about in the present.), but it's much more difficult with the Japanese side because I'd listen to some J-Pop and I'd talk about it to my friends and they'd say, "oh! that song's from a while ago!" and I'd just be a bit behind on the social side of things. I guess if I lived in Japan though, it would be vice versa! The following questions are the ones I have been wanting advice on as I couldn't find many sources which gave advice on these.

1. What uni course should I take which will allow me to earn a satisfying annual income whilst living in Japan? (I had planned on being a lawyer but crossed out being a lawyer or a doctor in Japan since to take up those occupations, you must take a national examination and pass the board. *I have no knowledge on the difficulty of the examination)

2. What are the pros and cons? (of either keeping or losing my Japanese citizenship.)

3. I read on another forum site that there is a form which can be filled out and sent to the nearest Japanese consulate asking for a 10 year extension on a Japanese citizenship so they could have time to earn money to be able to adapt to the Japanese lifestyle. Is this true?

[masaegu]

Hi!

Almost all of the members who might possibly want to comment on your particular problem have moved to:
Japanologic Forums • Portal

I suggest that you register there and copy and paste your post. Japan Forum is now nothing short of a dying website.

[hafuchann]

thank you very much! i will do that then!

[bb020708]

I also have dual citizenship, for America and Japan since I was born in America. As long as you update your passport before it expires for either one, you'll be able to keep both "citizenships". But that's only if you don't get caught in Japan having 2 passports. There are pros and cons for having and losing your Japanese citizenship so I don't think it's worth "losing" it when you can keep it without any dire consequences.