Japan to Allow Taiwan as Place of Origin in Family Registry After Years of Advocacy

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Starting in late May, Japan will allow names of both countries and regions to be listed in the nationality column of the family registry. This means Taiwanese spouses of Japanese nationals will be able to choose "Taiwan" instead of "China."

The Ministry of Justice announced plans to amend the enforcement regulations of the Family Register Act, fulfilling a long-standing wish of many Taiwanese people.

The Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council (Nikka Kon, or council), a supra-partisan parliamentarian group dedicated to promoting ties with Taiwan, had quietly pushed for this change.

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On February 26, Council Chairman Keiji Furuya of the Liberal Democratic Party told reporters that discussions had taken place behind the scenes to prevent Chinese interference.

"For Taiwanese people, having their nationality listed as 'China' is a serious issue of identity. We've been discussing this discreetly," Furuya explained.

He added that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya had been "regularly briefed and fully aware" of the situation.

That morning, the council's family registry project team met with officials from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and Taiwanese expatriates at the National Diet. Led by Upper House member Hirofumi Takinami, the team explained how the changes had been approved.

Retroactive Applications

As of June 2024, approximately 67,000 Taiwanese nationals lived in Japan. Those who had their place of origin previously recorded as "China" in family registers can now apply to have it changed.

Since around 2003, Taiwan has promoted a "Name Rectification Campaign" to replace "Republic of China" and similar terms with "Taiwan."

In Japan, a legal revision in July 2009 changed the nationality/region designation on residence cards for Taiwanese residents from "China" to "Taiwan."

Council Secretary-General Minoru Kihara said, "Forcing Taiwanese people to use 'China' in the family registry is an issue of human rights and dignity."

The issue has also caused practical difficulties. For example, when a Taiwanese person died in Japan and their remains were sent to Taiwan, documents listing their nationality as "China" had to be corrected, complicating the process.

A Lawmaker's Protest

The amendments to the Regulation for the Enforcement of the Family Register Act will also include a system upgrade for the addition of phonetic name readings.

With this in mind, the council launched the family register project in November 2022 to speed up negotiations with the Ministry of Justice.

During a Lower House budget committee session on February 8, 2022, Yuichiro Wada, a Japan Innovation Party lawmaker and council member, raised concerns about the nationality options on family registers.

"It's disrespectful to Taiwanese people. It's a human rights issue. Shouldn't this be changed?" he asked.

Wada, elected to the Lower House in October 2021, brought up the issue in parliament for the first time. Before raising the issue, he had met with Taiwanese residents in Japan, reviewed their family registers, and listened to their concerns.

'A Fundamental Issue'

In an interview with The Sankei Shimbun, Wada reflected on the matter.

"No matter how you look at it, this is clearly wrong," he said. "We call Taiwanese people 'friends' and 'important diplomatic partners,' yet we failed to address such a fundamental issue."

Regarding the recent decision, he added, "I feel like the moment has finally come, but at the same time, I can't believe it took this long to fix something so simple."

Frank Hsieh Chang-ting, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan from 2016 to August 2024, had long advocated for recognizing Taiwan in family registers.

Upon seeing reports confirming the change on February 17, he wrote on Facebook: "I can't hold back my tears. So many different emotions are washing over me. This was made possible by the tireless efforts of so many people."