Japan Prime Minister Abe to ‘study’ whether dual nationals can hold top government positions
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that he wants to study the issues presented by the possibility of dual nationals serving as Cabinet ministers or in other high-ranking government positions, amid controversy after two lawmakers admitted to holding foreign citizenship.
It’s natural to choose the appropriate people to deal with state secrets and diplomatic negotiations
“We must figure out what is at issue,” Abe said in a House of Councillors budgetary committee session, without specifying what he will do next.
Japan’s diplomats are forbidden by law from holding foreign citizenship, but there are no such rules for Cabinet ministers, Self-Defence Forces personnel or police officers, who are required only to prove their Japanese citizenship.
Kimi Onoda, an upper house lawmaker with Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, admitted on Tuesday to retaining US citizenship and said she has begun the procedure of renouncing it.
“It’s natural to choose the appropriate people to deal with state secrets and diplomatic negotiations, but there is a possibility of things not operating that way,” Abe said.
