The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-10
DUAL NATIONALITY" BILL OF
JAPANESE CONTAINS IMPORTANT
- CLAUSES AFFECTING THE U. S.
Prominent Persons in Orient Predict Adoption of Meas
ure by Diet--Subject Born in Another Country MAY
Expatriate Himself. Designed to Settle Big CUES
4. tions.

Toxic. March SIN elaboration sof
the cab1ed announcement that the
government has introduced into the
Diet a measure designed to solve the
troublesome matter of double nation
atty, as applied to the Japanese chill
drenI born IN the United States. there
are a number of details of interest
to America
The governments bill, as has been
announced, emphasizes the right of
repatriation of Japanese born in for
eign lands and provides that such ex-
patr1ation involves definitely loss of
japanese nationality
One Of the contentious of those
seeking more satisfactory assirni-
latlon Of the Japanese residents in the
On1ted states has been that Japan
hindered that assimilatfo1 by main
tanning its legal hold on male children
born in foreign lands. 9sfrth of ia
panese in the United States is tanta-
mount to the right of American citf-
zensnip but the Japanese law has new
er recognized the right of Japanese
born abroad to separate themselves
entirely from japanese nationality.
Thuss arose the question of dual ma
uonaiity between the United States
and Japan just as it has arisen be-
tween the, United States and Euro
pean countries where the old Roman
law still obtains. The "dua1 nation
atty" was alleged to react against a
broader adaptation Of japanese resi-
dents IN the United States to Ameri-
can conditions and American life
Representative Japanese predict
that the pending bill will be adopted
by the Diet thought it may meet with
OPPOSITION in the conservative house
OF Peers They explain that al
though the existing Japanese law pro-
v.des for expatriation, one clause of
the law renders repatriation practi-
cally imperative because it oblfges
male Japanese resident abroad to
serve their time in the Japanese ar
my Thus Japan in no way released
It's legal hold on male japanese living
in foreign lands. This clause espec-
tally affected California and Hawaii on
account OF the large number of Japan
csc resident in those places The
amendment offered in the Diet is be-
Heved to be a way out of the Difficult
ty and is regarded as a compromise
measure framed in such q. way as not
to excite direct opposition from ia
panese army circles. The an1endmen
gives the parents OF Japanese chill
dren born in the United States the
right to expatriafe their children and
if this amendment is accepted it
means that the clause relating to
compulsory military service will not
be operative. 1t indicates that the
japanese government endorses the
become citizens OF the American Re
public without any legal obligations
to their homeland. The step is re-
garded here as a contribution of ia
pan to the settlement of questions in
vo1vfng citizenship and race between
the two countries.
The new measure provides that
when a Japanese woman by becom-
ing the wife of a foreigner has ac-
quired her husbands nationality she
loses her Japanese nationality
The bill provides that in case a ia
panese subject, who has acquired for
eign nationality by reason of birth
in foreign country. has domfciIe in
that country he may expatriate him
self with the permission of the Min
lister OF State for home affairs The
application for the permission shall
be made by the legal representative in
case the person expatrfating himself
- T0unger than fifteen years OF age.