Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Japan
Nationality Act Article 3 case
Supreme Court of Japan · Japan · 2008-06-04 · National court
Citation: Heisei 18 (Gyo-Tsu) No. 135
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
May children born outside marriage to a Japanese father and a foreign mother be denied nationality unless the parents marry?
What the court decided
No. The marriage requirement in Article 3(1) breached equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
In plain language
Children of Filipina mothers and Japanese fathers who were not married could not get Japanese nationality. The Supreme Court said this was unequal. The law was changed the same year.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Anak-anak dari ibu Filipina dan ayah Jepang yang tidak menikah tidak bisa mendapat kewarganegaraan Jepang. MA menyatakan ini tidak setara. UU diubah pada tahun yang sama.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah anak yang lahir di luar nikah dari ayah Jepang dan ibu asing ditolak kewarganegaraannya kecuali orang tuanya menikah?
What happened afterwards
- 2008-06-04: Grand Bench judgment.
- 2008-12: Nationality Act amended.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/jp-nationality-2008/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.