(4) Statelessness Based on the above, in consideration of A’s nationality, first, it is established that A acquired Ethiopian nationality in 1962. Although Eritrea became independent in 1993, A was issued a passport from the Ethiopian government in 1996, and it is confirmed that A had Ethiopian nationality at least until the time of his departure. After the border conflict, according to the Constitution of Ethiopia and its nationality laws, it appears that those who have not selected Eritrean nationality maintain their Ethiopian nationality. According to these laws, A seems to maintain his Ethiopian nationality because he has not selected Eritrean nationality and does not possess any documentary proof of Eritrean nationality. However, the Embassy of Ethiopia rejected A’s application for passport renewal on several occasions. In 2015, the embassy staff told him that his passport could not be renewed because he was from Asmara, and it did not issue a travel document which was a one-way ticket to Ethiopia. Such a treatment is understood to demonstrate that A is not considered as a national under the operation of the law and that he is not considered as a national by the Ethiopian authorities. With regard to Eritrean nationality, while A seems to meet the eligibility criteria for the acquisition of nationality, there is no document to indicate his Eritrean nationality. Regarding the ‘three witnesses’ method, A is unable to provide three witnesses and is thus not considered as a national by the Eritrean authorities. Therefore, A is a stateless person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law. 3. Administrative and Other Responses by Japan A’s foreigner residence card shows “Ethiopia” in the “Nationality/area of origin” column, and the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice considers him to be of Ethiopian nationality. However, there is no sign that the possession of nationality in a real sense was specifically considered in detail in preparing the card. Also, although it is not limited only to stateless persons, it is common for stateless persons to have problems with the date of birth shown on their foreigner residence cards. For example, A’s foreigner residence card lists “Year 1961 Month 00 Day 00” as the date of birth. This seems to be due to the fact that the expired passport only states 1961, which is unrelated to the unique circumstances of A’s actual nationality. However, A has faced various difficulties in daily life due to the fact that such a date, which does not exist in reality, has been listed on his foreigner residence card. For example, A was unable to open a bank account, and he was not hired by a company at the last minute for the reason that the company could not process someone without a date of birth. A has faced considerable hardships in his public life, with the date of birth causing problems in his application for national health insurance, his request for city housing, his application for a nursery school for his children, etc. 58