1952 San Francisco Treaty loss (Korean/Taiwanese colonial subjects) — historical
Citizenship in Japan
- Eligibility
- Former Korean and Taiwanese colonial subjects automatically lost Japanese nationality on the SF Peace Treaty's entry into force (1952-04-28) per MOJ Civil Affairs circular 民事甲第438号 (1952-04-19). Affected ~2M; the descendant community holds Special Permanent Resident status (Act 71/1991) — a RESIDENCE status, NOT Japanese nationality. Historical event; not an acquisition route.
- Renunciation
- Not required
Who qualifies
- The Special Permanent Resident regime (Special Act on Immigration Control, Act No. 71 of 1991, EIF Nov 1991) grants special permanent residence to persons who lost Japanese nationality under the Treaty of Peace with Japan, and their qualifying lineal descendants born in Japan; SPR status is a RESIDENCE STATUS under immigration law, NOT Japanese nationality (SPRs remain foreign nationals).
Legal basis
Primary legal authorities: 民事甲第438号 (1952-04-19), SF Peace Treaty (1952-04-28), Act 71/1991 (SPR). Status: Historical / superseded (operative_today: false). Administering authority: Ministry of Justice (法務省), Civil Affairs Bureau, via the Legal Affairs Bureaus (法務局); consular missions (外務省) for notifications/applications filed abroad. Former Korean and Taiwanese colonial subjects automatically lost Japanese nationality on the SF Peace Treaty's entry into force (1952-04-28) per MOJ Civil Affairs circular 民事甲第438号 (1952-04-19). Affected ~2M; the descendant community holds Special Permanent Resident status (Act 71/1991) — a RESIDENCE status, NOT Japanese nationality. Historical event; not an acquisition route.
Example scenarios
Ji-soo is NOT a Japanese national. SPR status (Special Permanent Resident, Act 71/1991) is a RESIDENCE STATUS under immigration law, not Japanese nationality. SPRs remain foreign nationals. The 1952 loss of Japanese nationality by colonial subjects was a historical event (Route JP-HIS-03, operative today: false) implemented by the 民事甲第438号 circular; it affected approximately 2 million former colonial subjects. Ji-soo's grandmother lost nationality; Ji-soo was born as a foreign national. Her SPR status gives her highly secure residence rights and exemption from forced departure, but she is Korean, not Japanese. If Ji-soo wishes to acquire Japanese nationality, she must apply for naturalization. Given her birth in Japan and continuous life in Japan (parent born in Japan), she may qualify for Art. 6(ii) simplified naturalization (JP-HIS-02) with a 3-year reduced domicile requirement, or ordinary naturalization (JP-NAT-01) with 5 years.
1952 SF Treaty colonial-subject loss is historical (operative_today: false) | SPR certificate = residence status, NOT nationality | ~266,896 SPRs as of recent data; all are foreign nationals | Naturalization is the path to Japanese nationality for Zainichi Koreans
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-21.
Track changes to this route
Descent and naturalization rules change. We'll email you in plain English when anything affecting Japan updates — no spam.