Taiwanese men lose bid to restore Japanese nationality

ISTANBUL

A court in Tokyo has turned down an appeal by three Taiwanese men seeking to have their Japanese nationality reinstated, local media reported on Tuesday.

The men, currently in their 80s and 90s, were born to Taiwanese parents when Taiwan was a colony of Japan, a period that ran from 1895 and 1945, Kyodo News reported.

Taiwanese people automatically lost their Japanese nationality after World War II.

This was upheld in a 1962 decision by Japan’s Supreme Court, which ruled that “Japanese nationals of Taiwanese descent lost their citizenship when a peace treaty signed by Japan and Taiwan entered into force in 1952.”

After signing the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which took effect in 1952, Japan renounced its claims over overseas colonies, including Taiwan.