Naturalized Japanese citizens who are originally from Taiwan will be able to list Taiwan instead of China as their place of origin in their family register from May 26, following a revision to a Justice Ministry ordinance allowing people to list regions, not just countries.

Since only Japanese citizens have family registrations, the change will mainly apply to naturalized citizens. But it will also impact foreign spouses and foreign children adopted by Japanese nationals, as their nationality and relationship are reflected in their Japanese spouse’s or adoptive parent’s register.

Currently, family registers include a nationality field for those with foreign origins. As Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan as a country, those from the self-ruled island had been required to list China as their original nationality.

A draft revision of the ordinance showed that the field will be changed to “nationality and region,” allowing individuals from Taiwan to be designated accordingly. Taiwanese who have been recorded as being from China can apply to change it to Taiwan.

Separately, the revised ordinance will formally recognize "Palestine (West Bank and Gaza)" in family registers. While this designation was previously allowed as a special measure, it will now be officially codified in ministry regulations.

The changes bring family registers in line with other government documents issued to foreign residents, such as residence certificates and residence cards, which have long adopted the "nationality/region" classification to accommodate individuals from disputed regions.

Since Taiwan has its own independent legal system, recognizing it as a region on family registers will also bring administrative benefits when deciding the applicable foreign laws in situations such as international marriage, according to a Justice Ministry official.

The change is part of a wider revision that includes requiring phonetic readings of names on family registers, which is set to go into effect by the end of May.

Local municipalities will mail out notification letters to each household after May 26, which informs individuals about the phonetic reading that will appear on their family registers, the Justice Ministry announced on Monday.

Individuals will have until May 25, 2026, to submit a notification via mail, the MyNumber portal or in-person at the municipal offices if the phonetic reading needs to be changed, after which it will be incorporated into the family registers.

Any changes to the phonetic reading will require a family court approval once a notification to change the reading has been submitted, though those who did not submit a notification by the deadline can make a one-time change without it.