Could i live in japan?

Question:

i was born in japan and my mother is japanese, but i have lived in the united states for about 18 years, going back every other year for about a month. i was wondering if that would be enough for me to move there as long as i decide on japanese citizenship or if i would need a visa as a us citizen.

Answer:

Was your name put into the family register? Do you have a Japanese passport? If the answer to these are 'Yes', then you are Japanese and can live here. And keep your US passport until you are either 21 or 22, I forget, at which time you must choose your nationality. If you don't have a Japanese passport, but your birth was registered, I would think you would be able to get a Japanese passport, though I don't know the process.

EDIT: If I were you, at this point I would contact the Japanese Embassy/Consulate nearest you. I'm sure that there may be people on here that have a definitive answer for you, but the problem lies in deciding exactly who that person is. By going to the Embassy/Consulate, you will get straight answers that you can rely on.

Lastly, don't toss that US passport/citizenship out just yet. The Japanese government doesn't really follow up on such matters. You can travel on your Japanese passport but if there ever comes a time in your life when you regret having switched to Japanese citizenship, that US passport means all you have to do is move back.

EDIT 2: I've heard this idea of going out on the Japanese passport and entering the US on the US passport idea before. But I've always wondered....

1- Isn't this going to raise some eyebrows with US Immigration? Coming in with no indication of where your have been or for how long. Sounds like a sure recipe for a backroom discussion. But be that as it may, that wouldn't be my concern, as I think it would all come out in the wash. They wouldn't care and you eventually would be let in. My worry is....

2- Coming back into Japan. Immigration gives the passport a look, finds where you exited but, what's this, looks like you didn't GO anywhere because there are no entry stamps in your Japanese passport. Now, the Japanese police may be a bunch of Keystone cops that you have to wave violations of the law in front of for them to do anything, but Immigration? I would think the lack of an entry stamp into another country would be one of the first things they would look for. Plus the immigration card you hand them has your point of embarkation on it. I think there are going to be some questions and I don't think it is going to be explained away except by telling the truth. And then, ladies and gentlemen, it is choice time. Do you want to be Japanese or American?

Is it just me or does it seem like this idea of using two passports on a single trip is a dog that don't hunt?