Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa said Tuesday that twins born to an American surrogate mother for a Japanese couple will be granted Japanese citizenship, saying that at least their father is clearly a Japanese.

Nozawa said the ministry is "moving toward allowing Japanese citizenship" for the twins. He said the boys will be recognized as the couple's "legitimate children" if the couple take such necessary measures as adoption.

The couple, who are both in their 50s, arranged the surrogate birth with the help of two American women, one of whom donated eggs and the other who gave birth to the twins in October 2002 at a hospital in California.