Is it possible to become a permanent resident or citizen of Japan... by a means OTHER than marriage?

I think that the best thing to become a permanent residence is to marry a Japanese. If you have a Japanese parent but have a different passport, you can also become a permanent resident. I am living and working in Japan on a work visa and life is pretty good. If you can get a job, then it isn't a big inconvenience to renew your work visa every so often. It is quite easy actually. Good luck.

Hope you are ready for a long answer. :)

JAPAN'S REQUIREMENTS

I went down to the local Ministry of Justice (Houmu kyoku) and sat down for an hour with an official. At first, he talked at me as if I were a child, and about very private things. When he started interrogating me about my parents' marital status I interrupted: Hang on. This is immaterial--all I want are the bare bones of what it takes to qualify, not whether or not *I* personally qualify, for citizenship. He nodded, hitched up his politeness level, and gave me the beef:

TO QUALIFY FOR JAPANESE CITIZENSHIP, YOU MUST:

a) have lived continuously (hiki tsuzuki) at Japanese addresses for five years

b) be over twenty years of age "in terms of mental and legal capacity" (20 sai ijou de honkokuhou ni yotte nouryoku o yuusuru koto)

c) behave well (sokou ga zenryou de aru koto)--and they do check--my dictionary even has the word "sokou chousa" (personal conduct survey) in it

d) demonstrate the means to support your family

e) be willing to relinquish the citizenship of your native country once Japanese citizenship is granted

f) respect the Japanese Constitution (i.e. don't plot against or advocate destroying it, or associate or join a group or political party which does)

(extenuating circumstances for the above considered if the applicant is married or related to a Japanese)

---
Round 1

ROUND ONE--PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

In my case, bring in:

1) Birth Certificate (shussei shoumeisho) and Proof of Citizenship (kokuseki shoumeishou)--ask your country if they will give you some proof other than just your passport. Passport will do in a pinch.

2) Overseas family documents: Marriage Certificate of your parents overseas (fubo no kon'in shoumei)--including divorce and remarriage papers. Adoption papers (youshi engumi no shoumei) if you were adopted or had your name legally changed. Papers showing relations to siblings (kyoudai kankei), or lack of siblings if available.

3) Domestic family documents: your own Marriage Certificate, Birth Certificates for children, spouse's ward registration form (koseki touhon) and ID papers (mibun shoumeisho), police records (keisatsu shoumeisho), death certificates (shibou shoumeisho), and your gaikokujin version of your ward registration form.

Why all this information? Because if you become a Japanese, you have to complete a ward registration form (koseki touhon) like any other Japanese, and this sort of information matters. Whether or not you are a bastard child, whether or not you are the eldest son--these things affect your legal standing in this society. Still, if documents are legally unavailable from your country, waivers are possible.

---
Round 2

Next, if they say you qualify, go to:

ROUND TWO--APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Fill out:

1) Naturalization Permission Application Form (with picture)

2) Outline of your overseas relatives (shinzoku no gaiyou). This includes names and addresses of all members of your immediate family (including those of members that may be inaccessible after divorce).

3) A list of all your addresses since birth (called a "resume"--rireki sho). Note that this is even more thorough than a US govt security check, which would want all your addresses for the past ten years. I asked about transient years--college rooms and dormitories etc--and he said to the best of my memory would be fine.

4) Japanese documents: ward registration forms for all members of your Japanese family as far as the parents stage. Proof of Residence Form (juumin hyou) for your spouse.

5) Your gaijin card with history of where you've lived for the past five years in Japan.

6) An outline of your livelihood (seikei no gaiyou). I forgot to ask for more details on this.

7) Proof of your employment (zaikin shoumeisho)

8) Proof of your earnings (gensen choushuu hyou)

9) Tax records from the local tax office for your family and business (to show you've paid)

10) Records, contracts showing your land ownership and house ownership

11) Snapshots of your family, home, and workplace

---
Round 3

Got all that? Now...

ROUND THREE--WAIT AND BE CONSIDERED

Applications take about one year to a year and a half to process (sumo wrestler Konishiki took quite a bit longer than that).

The fee is free (except for the cost of all the documents, which at around 300 yen a pop will add up). Fortunately, it could be worse: there are no taxation stamps (shuunyuu inshi) to buy, and all translations of overseas documents can be done by nonofficial translation agencies, such as yourself.

I then asked about "acculturation requirements"--like the US INS Test--or minimum language ability. The official said that there is no test on Japanese history, culture, and the like. Minimum language ability is about third-grade level (shougakkou sannensei) for reading and writing ability, and basic conversation level would do. I would pass, he said.

However, there must be a demonstrated level of assimilation on my part. Who are my Japanese friends and how many do I have? What kind of house interior do I have? Do I get along with my neighbors? (There are occasions when they come and ask them, he said.) Nonsarcastically, I asked him too quantify a minimum level of "Japanization"--if I had to wear a yukata and geta during off-hours, if I had to be able to eat nattou, if I had imported a Canadian prefab house would I be invalid?, etc.

He laughed (once you make a bureaucrat laugh, magic happens), and said none of that was really necessary. But any inspection of my lifestyle should not inflict upon the officials any sense of incongruity (iwakan), whatever that meant. I guess that if we weren't practicing some American form of suttee or female circumcision with the inspectors looking on, we'd be okay.

OKAY, YOU'VE PASSED THE INSPECTION, AND QUALIFIED. NOW WHAT?

If citizenship is granted after a year or two, you will be issued the proper documents for citizenship and passport, and be given a document (in Japanese) to put your seal on (not sign), saying "I give up my American citizenship and take Japanese citizenship exclusively".

Bring your gaijin passbook, inkan, documents, and driver licence, and do what they say. Choose a name in kanji (with legal Japanese readings) and/or kana, and that's it. You are a Japanese citizen. Congratulations. You've burnt your bridges.

In closing:

However, there is a loophole (for US citizens anyway--can't say for others). Dual citizenship is now possible in the US (I checked with the American authorities), but not in Japan. But there are possiblities:

1) As long as you do not commit treason (serving in another country's armed forces, espionage), you cannot be forced to give up your US citizenship without expressly requesting it in writing. So as long as you do not SIGN anything, a Japanese document is not legally enforcable in the US. Whether or not a seal qualifies is an issue for the lawyers to get rich from.

2) The onus of telling your native country of your naturalization is on you, not on the Japanese government. So after you get your citizenship, you get statement-of-intent forms to send to your former government. Send them off yourself. Once you get an answer back from the US govt revoking your citizenship, take it to your ward office. I said that the US government could take years deliberating over it--won't that affect my Japanese rights and privileges in the interim? No, it would not, the official said.

This is a rather large game to play, but mum's the word.

I'm not sure but.... I knew a japanese born cizten who study and lived in the UK for more than 5 years who got a Uk ciztienship.

In the UK I think you can apply for a citizienship after living for more than 5 years legaly. I would think that the Japanese goverment would have something similar but on what time scale I don't know, you best advice would be to ask some goverment help centre or something.

Jesus said I am the Way the Truth and the Life, these three things cover everything! All you need to do is believe that He is. He will do the rest. I like the scripture, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,.... Why did Jesus say that? Simply because children do not think beyond what is said. They believe everything that is said. "Jesus said "In my name heal the sick" they do exactly that, they do not think "Hmmmm I dont know about that one???" Their thinking is simple, they believe without doubting. Believing comes evidence. Revelations come from the Lord, they are not revelations like one who understands a mathematical equation, it is a spiritual revelation one that soothes the conscious, eases the mind, fulfills the heart. The Bible is the Word of God it is a confirmation of ALL things for God's Spirit witnesses with our spirit through The Living Book of Life. Salvation Prayer Dear God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for saving me! I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit. In Lord Jesus Christ’ Name I pray. Amen.

I guess many Taiwanese are studying in Japan today.
And hearing, after they graduated, some of them take a job in Japan and start their own lives.

Speaking ability of Japanese is important to live. Please think about it.(If I live in Taiwan, I need Chinese 國語, right?)

If you wanna know what Japan and Japanese are, you find any grandpa or granma generation (歐吉桑/歐爸桑 maybe?) of 本省人, maybe over 65 years old. and ask them about Japan. They know what is Japan like and they can speak Japanese too.
Anybody is ok if he/she is 本省人. They must be glad and welcome you such young girl, like you, ask about Japan. I am sure it.

Also find a book written by Xie Ya Mei 謝雅梅. She graduated University in Japan and now living in Japan as a writer.

Being married to a Japanese person would put you on a faster track for permanent residency.

But if you're not married to a Japanese, it's still possible. Getting permanent residency just takes longer -- at least 10 consecutive years of legal residency in Japan, if I'm not mistaken.

Permanent resident status is easier to manage than becoming a Japanese citizen is, from what I hear. Much easier.

I knew an American guy who became a Japanese citizen, and man, was it ever a hassle, based on what he told me.

For one thing, he had to pass Level 2 (the 2nd highest level) on the official Japanese language test. You have to be pretty much fluent in the language, both on the spoken and the written levels.

Plus, there's heaps and heaps and heaps of paperwork, interviews, background checks ...

I knew another American over there who has lived there for over 30 years, speaks and reads Japanese fluently -- but hasn't gone through the citizenship process yet. The extremely hassling nature of the process is probably one reason why.

Yes it is possible, but rare. The requirement is that you show commitment to being Japanese, marriage to a Japanese person is just one obvious way to do that. Another way to do it is have the potential to win an Olympic medal for Japan. I don't think it's an easy process for anyone.

if you are pretty good at sports, arts or something very special, you can get permanent right to live in Japan. Or marry a Japanese guy, there are only these two ways.
Honestly it seems that foreigners aren't welcomed to Japan. All I can say is that it's HARD to be a Japanese citzen. Good luck on you.