This latest study reinforces the previous reports’ recommendations to establish a statelessness determination procedure, to flexibly implement and strengthen the current Japanese nationality law provisions to address statelessness, as well as to accede to the two Statelessness Conventions. The authors also emphasize that the assessment of statelessness should be made in line with the guidance of the UNHCR Handbook on the Protection of Stateless Persons (2014). The Study also demonstrates through examination of actual cases that increased awareness regarding nationality and statelessness issues among the relevant actors in Japan can help identifying and addressing (the risk of) statelessness. In this context, this Study can contribute to a more systematic identification of persons whose statelessness may not have come to the surface and provide practical hints to explore how to effectively respond to their plight. UNHCR Japan hopes that this study will provide the basis for active discussions among the government, legal practitioners, civil society and stateless persons themselves about how the identified challenges can be addressed, including potential actions for the strengthening of the current legal framework and its implementation. Dirk Hebecker Representative UNHCR Representation in Japan 3