Interviews
I want to restore my Japanese nationality
I still want to have Japanese nationality. I got Brazilian nationality out of necessity, and I don't feel any discomfort about it. If getting Japanese nationality meant losing my Brazilian nationality, I might think about it again, but even if I were to regain my Japanese nationality, I wouldn't lose my Brazilian nationality. I think it's okay to have dual nationality. However, under Japanese nationality law, when you are asked "Are you losing your Brazilian nationality?" you have to answer "yes," but it doesn't actually disappear. So sometimes I think I want to die with Japanese nationality.
So when I'm asked, "Are you going to live in Japan permanently?" or "Do you want to live in Japan?", I have to prove that my base of operations is in Brazil, that I've moved my address to Japan, and that I'm living in Japan. So, although I haven't decided when I'll do it in the future, I do have a strong desire to get my Japanese nationality back.
Date: September 19, 2019
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Japanese Brazilians living in Oizumi (Portuguese)
(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.
Unique Identity from Having Multiple Backgrounds
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Benefits of getting American citizenship (Japanese)
(b. 1931) Shin-Issei Social Worker
Why I became an American citizen (Japanese)
(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.
The privations of living in post-war Japan, 1952
(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.
Parent’s Marriage
(b. 1939) a businesswoman whose family volunterily moved to Salt Lake City in Utah during the war.