Passport regulation and the materialization of Japan’s homogeneity myth: Multiple nationalities in Japan, 1985–2025

This article examines how the Japanese government administratively manages dual nationality to maintain the ideological fiction of ethnic homogeneity. While the Japanese passport grants high visa-free access, this privilege is conditional upon adhering to a singular, mono-ethnic definition of nationality. Drawing on a longitudinal qualitative analysis of newsletters (1980–2025) from the Japan Association of Intercultural Families, the study documents structural friction between transnational identities and the state’s registration system. The analysis identifies three mechanisms of administrative exclusion: “orthographic violence” in name standardization, the outsourcing of border control to private gatekeepers creating “identity gaps,” and the use of discretionary power by street-level bureaucrats to coerce disclosure of foreign status. The study concludes that these barriers are design features intended to filter out identity complexity. By prioritizing a family-based model, the state restricts the mobility of global citizens and necessitates a re-evaluation of modern citizenship.