A naturalized individual receives the same rights as a native-born Japanese person after obtaining kokuseki and becoming a national (国民, kokumin).

The word "citizenship" (市民権, shiminken) has several meanings but is typically used to describe a person's political rights and status in a country.

Children born in Japan to parents who are stateless or have an unknown status may become Japanese nationals after three years of residence.

[10] In November 2008, Liberal Democratic Party member Tarō Kōno submitted a proposal to allow offspring of mixed-nationality couples in which one parent is Japanese to have more than one nationality.

[11] In 2018, a lawsuit was put forward to challenge the ban on Japanese citizens over the age of 21 holding foreign nationalities, but this was later rejected.

The government has argued that allowing dual nationality for adults in Japan could 'cause conflict in the rights and obligations between countries, as well as between the individual and the state'.

The QNI considers, in addition to travel freedom, on internal factors such as peace & stability, economic strength, and human development as well.