The United States president's recent pronouncement limiting birthright citizenship is generating intense legal debates, purportedly violating constitutional principles. The decree, which restricts automatic citizenship for children born on American soil to non-citizens, has significant repercussions on Japanese and other international communities living within the US. Legal experts argue that this policy adjustment infringes upon the 14th Amendment of the US constitution, which guarantees birthright citizenship.

In Japan, the issue has sparked a substantial amount of interest — particularly among those who have families or ties to the United States. For many, the question of birthright citizenship reflects critical social values such as equality and fairness. Japan, unlike the US, doesn’t practice jus soli (right of soil), meaning citizenship is not automatically conferred to those born on its soil, but through a parent who is a national.

This situation contrasts with the more flexible policies in many European Union countries that typically blend the concepts of jus sanguinis (right of blood) and jus soli (right of soil) to determine citizenship. In these nations, birthright citizenship often extends to children of immigrants, especially if they are born on local soil, and if not, through specific provisions in their immigration laws.