Forfeiting your citizenship might seem like a strange way to better connect with your country, but Hana Dethlefsen was compelled to make such a decision after getting caught up in the complicated legal web of Japan¡¯s Nationality Act.
¡°I had to give up my Japanese nationality in order to qualify for the JET Programme, which I did at age 21. My understanding was that I would have to give it up at age 22 anyway, so giving it up one year earlier wouldn¡¯t have made a difference,¡± Dethlefsen said. JET is a state-sponsored program that invites non-Japanese college graduates to work mainly as language teachers at local schools.
¡°(But) in my discussions with other half-Japanese friends, I¡¯ve come to understand that we all have different understandings of what is acceptable,¡± said Dethlefsen, who now has German and Canadian citizenship.
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