Doc - Kokuseikhou: the fight to change Japan's Nationality Law (Working Title)

Documentary Short

Title: Kokuseikhou: The Fight to Change Japan's Nationality Law (Working Title)

Project Status: In Production

Logline 

When 78-year-old Yuri Kondo was denied renewal of her Japanese passport after becoming a U.S. citizen, she sued the Japanese government, taking a stand against a 125-year-old nationality law that forces citizens to choose one identity in a globalized world.

Synopsis

In 2017, Japan-born Yuri Kondo was denied renewal of her Japanese passport under Nationality Law 11.1 after the Ministry of Justice suspected she had naturalized as a U.S. citizen. When COVID-19 began spreading globally and Japan’s borders started to close, Kondo chose to shelter in place with her family in Japan, overstaying her visa waiver on her U.S. passport. Now unable to leave Japan without risking re-entry denial, Kondo is fighting back by suing the Japanese government and joining a growing movement to challenge Japan’s outdated single-nationality law and redefine what it means to be Japanese in a globally connected world.

Additional Project Information

Japan is my home. Yet, as a mixed-race Japanese woman who has held U.S. and Japanese dual citizenship since birth, I have never felt fully accepted in Japan. Over the years, I have observed that even the slightest step outside Japan's boundaries often results in swift rejection, disqualifying you from its narrow definition of what it means to be "Japanese." This experience is common among mixed-race Japanese, returnees, and Nikkei individuals. Even everyday Japanese citizens who deviate from the status quo often find themselves marginalized within their own society.

Ten years ago, I made the feature-length documentary "Hafu: The Mixed-Race Experience in Japan," which explored the everyday lives of individuals with one Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent. The film went on to be broadcast on Nippon TV and PBS, played theatrically in five U.S. cities, screened at dozens of international festivals, and received “Best Documentary” at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.

The rigidity of Japanese society is enshrined in its laws, such as Article 11.1 of the Nationality Act, which revokes Japanese citizenship for those who naturalize in another country, and Article 14, which requires dual citizens by birth to make a "choice of nationality."

This next film comes out of my desire to further the conversation and continue to push for greater acceptance in Japan. Through this project, I aim to celebrate the beauty of being "Japanese and…" I believe that by revising these laws to allow dual or multiple citizenship, Japan can thrive culturally and economically, embracing a richer and more inclusive future.

Team

Directed and Produced by: Megumi Nishikura, Director of Photography by: Shiho Fukada, Additional Camera by: Keisuke Shingu

Financials

Budget: US $50k

Seeking

Investors, Producing Partners, Production Company, Online Distribution

Rights Available

All rights available

Project Website

www.meguminishikura.com/kokusekihou

Contact

Both/And Films

kokusekihoufilm@gmail.com