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‪This research, based on in-depth interviews with eighteen naturalized citizens and three residents who attempted or considered naturalization in Japan, examines the attitudes towards the perceived obligation to renounce one’s former citizenship, and how those restrictions influence their identification to Japan and their country of origin. This article‪‪ argues that ambiguity surrounding the single-citizenship principle in the Nationality Law leads many naturalized informants to renounce their former nationality and become mononational Japanese, however this does not necessarily result in a stronger identification to Japan. Rather, ethnicity and how it is racialized in Japanese society seems to be a much more significant factor influencing the feeling of belonging to Japan. Specifically, migrants who phenotypically are seen as “white” are more likely to identify as Japanese, while migrants from the “Global South” usually base their identification on their country of origin.‪