August 2023
There’s a few things that really stab at my heart with mummy-guilt each time I think about them. One of those things is Missy’s lost opportunity to be a dual citizen of both Australia and Japan. Since Shujin is a Japanese citizen his children, even if born outside of Japan, can take on Japanese citizenship. So when Bob was born in Australia, we contacted the Japanese Embassy in Canberra and went about the correct process to register our son within three months of his birth. When Missy was born we completely forgot everything. When she was four months old, suddenly we remembered. Shujin contacted the Japanese Embassy, but it was too late. They would not accept her as a Japanese citizen.
All these years it has haunted me whenever I thought about it. That we had failed her and lost the opportunity to give her dual citizenship. And now, since we were living in Japan, how much easier it would have been if she was a citizen! A missed opportunity we were certain it was, but second chances sometimes come your way. So when we found out that we could apply for citizenship for Missy after she had held her residency visa for 6 months, we were stoked!
As per usual, Shujin did all the prep work. Making phone calls, finding out what documents were needed. Obtaining those documents. Making more phone calls. Booking the appointment. And finally, the day arrived.
I felt a little nervous. Usually I travel with Shujin to new appointments and places out of town. But today, I was meeting him at the appointment. I looked at the address he had messaged me. Apart from the numbers, I couldn’t read a thing. Copying and pasting it into Maps, I was directed how to get there. The drive was very straightforward from my current place in Maebashi city, the capital city of our prefecture. With time to spare, soon I heard the welcomed message “You have arrived at your destination”. I’m not sure why I expected to look up at the building and read in big English letter’s “Office of Legal Affairs”, but they weren’t there. It then dawned on me, I actually had no idea if I was even at the right place! I simply had to just trust that I was! It was certainly an unsettling feeling! Especially when you didn’t want to be late for an appointment!
Ten minutes felt so long when waiting and wondering if you were waiting in the right place… But I was eventually put at ease when Shujin turned up. We went inside and I followed him down hallways and up lifts. Once again I wondered how one could ever navigate this on their own without knowing Japanese!
Shujin told the receptionist that we were here and soon we were ushered into a meeting room. Shujin pulled out all the paperwork as requested and passed it over to the man. He started checking over things, asking some questions, making some marks. Then he asked for the photo. Photo? That wasn’t on the list of things we needed to provide. But no, we were told that we needed a photo of Missy, Shujin and myself. Bob wasn’t allowed to be in it. (What the?!) We had photos on our phones of the four of us. Or Missy and Shujin, or Missy and me, or Shujin with both kids, or me with both kids. But there was not one recent photo of just the three of us - Missy, Shujin and me… The man checking over the paperwork informed Shujin that we couldn’t continue with the appointment. His job was to check the paperwork, and if everything was in its place, then one could proceed with the interview. If not, no interview. We were left sitting there in utter frustration.
We were told that Missy didn’t need to attend the interview, so we had left her in the care of Okasan and Yumi to enjoy the Children’s Museum with Bob and the cousins . If only I had of brought her along, we could easily take a photo. Shujin had phoned prior to the appointment to ask exactly what we needed. There was no mention of a photo. He was not impressed. I sat there, brain wheeling with possible options that DIDN’T include coming back at a later date. It took Shujin about an hour to drive here from work, making suitable arrangements so he could get the time off. It would just be so inconvenient to try again at a later date! Could I go get Missy, she’s just 10min away. But we were already 10-15min into our 1 hour appointment. By the time I went there and back, took a photo, printed it at the convenient store and came back there wouldn’t be enough time for the interview.
This was ridiculous. Why couldn’t we just proceed with the interview and once it was done, go get Missy, take a photo, print it and bring it back? They could slip it into the paperwork, no big deal, right? Wrong. I felt like we were dealing with a mechanical factory operation rather than human beings. Why was the Japanese way so narrow minded! Where’s the common sense and trouble-shooting skills? Or, perhaps they trouble-shoot different to me… Well, Shujin was mad and they knew it. It was their stuff-up. So they held a “conference” to discuss our “unique situation”. We sat and waited. It’s times like this that I feel this whole country is running on the spectrum.
Much to our relief the outcome was favourable to us. Someone in their wisdom, realised that it wouldn’t upset the applecart if they gave us some leeway. (Thank you!) Amusingly though, they needed that photo before the interview. So off we went, drove 10min and picked up Missy. Took a photo. Stopped by a convenience store. Printed photo. Drove back to the Office of Legal Affairs. Went back to the meeting room. Waited. We brought Missy with us this time, just in case. The interviewer joined us. Missy and I sat there as Shujin did all the talking. Missy was so bored in the interview (as was I). She didn’t look interested at all in becoming a Japanese citizen, haha!!!!!!!!! And we’d taken her away from her entertainment at the Children’s Museum so she was even further unimpressed. The interviewer left the room partway through the interview for a brief moment and Shujin seized the opportunity and roused on Missy, telling her to “Sit straight and don’t look so grumpy! You do want to be a Japanese citizen, don’t you?”
The hour interview that we’d book had been unnecessarily stretched into almost 2 hours, but we left relieved. The interview had taken place.
“So, what next?” I turned to Shujin as we walked crossed the carpark.
“Well, the paperwork was all accepted, so now we just wait to hear the outcome. We can expect to hear from them within three months.”
“And then what?” I asked.
“Well, if she’s accepted, then that’s it!”
“That’s it?!” I asked inquizically.
“Yeah, that’s it!” he confirmed.
Apart from the silly photo rigmarole, applying for citizenship now felt ridiculously easy!! Missy didn’t need to do a follow-up interview and sing the national anthem and speak Japanese and answer questions about history or culture. Nothing! And all those years I carried around my mummy-guilt for nothing! (Well, hopefully nothing!)
Well done xo