JapanForum.com - American having a child in Japan

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Originally Posted by koolawant (Post 849913)

so wait, your child is not a US citizen. Ok, well if I got married and my spouse is japanese but I'm american can I instead get my child a japanese citizenship instead of american?

My son would be a US citizen if there had not been such a horrific mess and fees involved in getting said citizenship.
If your spouse is Japanese, your child can get Japanese citizenship. It doesn`t matter where the child is born.
On the other hand, even if your child is born in Japan, if neither of you is Japanese the child will not receive citizenship.

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BTW how's your son now? Is he doing ok? And how are you?

He is fine now. I am also just fine.
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Personally I think your son is better off without it. But that's just me.

I wonder how you feel about the situation?

Better off without it is a bit of a stretch.
I do still have relatives in the US, and even if I am not close, should something happen to them I would feel quite obligated to travel there. My son not having a US passport makes things MUCH more difficult. I have to carry around tons of documentation proving he is my son, proving I have permission to have him with me, proving that I plan to take him back into Japan, etc etc.
Regardless of anything political, it is an incredible pain. And on a trip to show him to my grandmother (who raised me) on her death bed - I was shown just how incredibly frustrating these things could be. There is a large difference between the official treatment of US citizens in the US and non-citizens.

Really, all political concerns can be tossed out the window in the face of convenience and comfort. Attachment or loyalty to country is not the issue - it`s all down to paperwork and legal pains.

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I am curious also though, how do you feel about your son only having Japanese citizenship, Nyororin? I mean, do you think its a loss at all, or do you think that there are benefits to being Japanese that he wouldn't have as an American? I know one isn't 'better' than another, but which would have you preferred him to have, if given the choice?

For a child, there is no "one or the other". Until 20-something, if you are born with it, you can indeed have dual citizenship in Japan. I would have preferred just to have both, as there are advantages to either. But if pressed to say one is better, I would indeed choose Japanese over US as we live in Japan. There is no reason to insist on having citizenship in a country we do not live in, and have no plans to live in.
If only one was an option - the benefits to having Japanese citizenship are everyday things - no hassle with visas, etc.
The benefits to having US citizenship are... less profound in daily life. Ease in travel is really the largest I can come up with. And not because the US is somehow feared and puts other countries in awe - Japan isn`t exactly a country that isn`t respected. More because *I* carry a US passport and travel using it. It`s just a pain having a minor child with you who does not have the same nationality.