TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan’s household registry will allow Taiwanese citizens to list their nationality as “Taiwan” instead of “China” starting in May.

Japan’s Ministry of Justice announced the change, which will modify the nationality section of household registries to “nationality/region.” This update will align the system with Japan’s residence certificates and residence cards, which already allow regional names, per Nikkei Asia.

Currently, Japan generally only recognizes country names in official documents. As a result, both Chinese and Taiwanese nationals are listed as “China” in household registries. Under the new policy, individuals previously registered as originating from China can request to modify their household registry to Taiwan.

In Japan, foreign nationals do not appear in household registries unless they naturalize as Japanese citizens or are adopted by a Japanese family. However, when a Japanese citizen marries a foreign national, their spouse’s name and nationality are recorded in the marriage section of the registry. This means that, under the new system, Taiwanese spouses of Japanese citizens will be able to have Taiwan listed in the nationality/region field.

This policy shift stems from a 1964 notice by Japan’s justice ministry, which, after Japan severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1972, classified both Taiwanese and Chinese nationals under “China.” The justice ministry at the time rejected both “People’s Republic of China” and “Republic of China” for different political reasons, leading to the current uniform classification.

Taiwanese nationals have urged the Japanese government to allow Taiwan to be recorded separately, citing the importance of maintaining their identity. Statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior show that 800 to 1,000 Taiwanese nationals marry Japanese citizens annually, per CNA.

Japan’s Ministry of Justice has previously made an exception for “Palestine,” allowing its inclusion in household registries through a ministerial directive. However, the ministry has not issued a specific directive regarding North Korea, where the nationality designation remains “Chosen,” the historical term used for Korea.