A thought just waundered through my brain.
I tried to chase it off, you know how dangerous them things can be.



Anyway,

If nearly anybody moves to America, and decides they want to become American, they can!
No matter their race, religion or nationality, eventually they will become Americans,
and be accepted through out the country and the world as being Americans!!


Question is, you're a Canadian living in Japan.
If you decided you wanted to become a Japanese citizen, would you be Japanese?

If you were to become an American Citizen, you would be an American.
If you become a Japanese Citizen, would you Japanese?



(feel free to take this thread where ever it might go)

I could become a Japanese citizen after living here for a certain amount of time, mastering the language and passing a citizenship test.

I would then have to revoke my Canadian citizenship, as nobody can be a citizen of two countries at the same time.

I'll never give up my Canadian citizenship (why would I want to stop being a member of the greatest country on the planet?) so I'll have to keep renewing my work VISA while I live in Japan, and be registered with the Japanese gov't as a "foreigner."

Pardon me for butting in, but both of you have made slightly incorrect statements.

Sky says that "nearly" anyone can come to America and become an American.

First off, America is big. The USA is one country in America. When referring to the USA, why not call it the USA ? It's only fair to all the other countries in America.

Secondly, "nearly anyone" is an overexaggeration. A large number of persons are considered to be "unfit" for immigration to the US. Not to mention that many people are not allowed to leave their country as they see fit or that a very large number of people have no means whatsoever to leave their country even if they wanted to.

Thirdly, a lot of US citizens are not looked upon or accepted as fellow US citizens by he general public. Laws may see each citizen as equal, regardless of race, religion or colour of skin, but as we all know, laws are not able to cover everything. Blacks in the USA are treated as 2nd class citizens. Hispanics as well. Native american US citizens are treated as 3rd class. Somewhere inbetween that, you have US citizens of asian decent or origin.

The idea that all US citizens are equal is a myth.

rcorporon said "nobody can be a citizen of two countries at the same time". Not true. One fellow I work with holds three passports. Born to German / Canadian parents in Switzerland, he is a Swiss / Canadian / German triple citizen. Okay, that's a rare case. But dual citizenship is available in a number of combinations. In the case of the USA, dual citizenship is possible via ius sanguinis (Latin for "right of the blood).

Actually up here in Michigan, dual citizenship with Canada is fairly common. My Mom had both.

We've talked about the idea of "America" before.

Trust me, we don't want it.

You guys can have it.

I'm a Canadian, NOT an American.



In Japan, in order to be Japanese and hold a Japanese passport, you must relinquish all other passports / citizenships.

I don't know / care about being a Canadian / American.

It is also possible to hold dual citizenship with Ireland and the USA.

I had friends in high school who had one American parent and one German, so they had dual citizenship until age 18, when they had to choose.

About choosing citizenship, I would love to drop-kick my USA passport and then drop my citizenship, so that one day I could stop supporting these bastards with my tax money!!!!!

(Did you know, the US is the only country that taxes its citizens who live abroad? Everyone else only pays taxes to the place they're living.)

I asked very broad, very general questions quite deliberately.
As I said, this is a thread that is allowed to go where ever it want's to go!



Scorp didn't answer the question. (yes, I already know the answer)
If he became a Japanese citizen, would he be Japanese?

If I become a US Citizen, I'm an American, No matter where I come from.
Same applies to Canada, Australia, and numerous other countries!


Now, let the thread ramble!

My two sons are both dual citizens. The rule is, at age eighteen, they have to decide which to keep and which to drop. There's a way to get around this but who would want to ?

As for US citizens paying taxes while living abroad, yes it's true but the first 80 grand are exempt. And if you're married and filing jointly, that amount is doubled.

As for Sky's question and explanation, I don't get it. I'm not sure if I want to.

If I got my Japanese passport and became a citizen, I would consider myself japanese.

However, most japanese would still consider me to be a foriegner.

I lived for a few years in a small town in central Montana.
No matter what I accomplished in that town,
and I did accomplish quite a bit in 5 years,
I would always have been an outsider.


After that I lived for almost 2 years on Oahu.
I was Haole. Generally in modern terms that means white.
But historically it means in so many words, a visitor.

But after a year I became Kama eina.
Which is a visitor that lives there. A non natural native.


Interesting because Hawaii is the most racist place I've ever lived.
It's a melting pot, and everybody openly refers to each other in racist terms.
Further more, no one minds being refered too in racist terms.
And I am accepted into the community, as kama eina!
The girl I dated there, is a long tall blond who has lived on the island since she was 5.
She will never be a Hawaiian. She will be Kama eina as long as she lives there.
Even her two children, who were both born there, are Kama eina.




Japanese is a race.
American is a culture.

You won't ever change your race to be Japanese, not possible, Even if you meld into the culture.
You will though if your lucky, have the equivelant of the Hawaiian Kama eina.


By the way Scorp. I honor your decision to move to Japan, for the time you are there.
The emotional depth the experience will bring to you is impossible to measure.
When I lived in Montana I wished I could be a billionaire,
I'd pick every 3rd citicen of that small town and pay them to live anywhere else but montana for 1 year.
The further away, the more extreme the culture shock, the more I pay!
Then these people with their experiences outside small town nowhere Montana would come back home,
and share what they learned!