Man in Japan discovers he’s a S’pore citizen, turns to Reddit for help on NS evasion charges

Man in Japan finds out he’s a Singapore citizen, faces possible NS evasion charges

A man recently found himself in hot water after realising he holds the Singapore citizenship — a fact he was unaware of for years.

Faced with potential charges for failing to fulfil National Service (NS) obligations, he has taken to Reddit for advice on his next steps.

The man, who spent part of his childhood in Singapore and then moved back to Japan, shared his story on the subreddit r/askSingapore.

Describing himself as “half Japanese and half Singaporean Chinese”, he explained that he studied in Japan until Primary 3 before moving to Singapore, where he completed six years of schooling.

His family returned to Japan in 2016, citing the high cost of living in Singapore.

“From 2016 until this year, I had no idea I held Singaporean citizenship. I thought I only had Japanese citizenship,” he wrote.

Discovers citizenship unexpectedly

However, all that changed during a visit from his Singaporean relatives, who were staying at his home in Japan.

During a conversation, his relatives questioned him about his citizenship, concerned about possible NS obligations.

While he initially believed he was only Japanese, his mother confirmed that he held Singaporean citizenship, even producing his Singaporean citizenship certificate as proof.

“At that moment, I realised I was in trouble,” he said.

Realising he might be in violation of Singapore’s NS requirements, he quickly sought advice from family members and a Member of Parliament on how to address the situation.

S’porean faces NS evasion charges for failure to register for NS

Upon contacting the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the man learnt he faced two charges against him: leaving Singapore without an exit permit and failing to register for NS.

He also claims he no longer has to serve NS, as “I didn’t officially renounce the citizenship I unknowingly held the whole time”.

He added: “I know I’m facing jail time and a fine, but if I return to Singapore soon to deal with this issue, I’m wondering if I might get a reduced sentence.”

Redditors ask him not to come back

The response on Reddit has been divided.

Some users recommended that he avoid returning to Singapore, suggesting that he meet his relatives in Johor Bahru instead.

Others placed blame on his parents for not informing him earlier of his citizenship status.

In a comment, the OP said he would like to return in the future, as Singapore is his “second home” and he “grew up here”.

While some Redditors sympathised, others pointed out that he would still likely face consequences, noting past cases of NS defaulters.

In past examples, offenders would usually receive a jail term, although the length of the sentence would differ depending on various factors.

For example, in 2023, a man who stayed in Hong Kong and defaulted on his NS obligations for more than 10 years was sentenced to six months’ jail after he returned to Singapore following the failure of his business.

In 2022, a Taiwan-born Singaporean was jailed for nine weeks after he defaulted on his NS obligations. He stayed outside Singapore for about four years and eight months without a valid exit permit as he wanted to focus on his studies.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) previously stated that it maintains a firm stance against offenders.

“If we allow Singapore Citizens or PRs who are overseas to evade NS or to choose when they want to serve NS, we are not being fair to the vast majority of our national servicemen who serve their country dutifully, and the institution of NS will be undermined,” said the ministry.

Also read: American citizen gets 9 weeks’ jail for defaulting NS, he was a S’porean by descent

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Featured image adapted from Mindef on Instagram and Kandl on Canva.