Japan has long prized racial purity, seeing a largely homogeneous population as crucial to social cohesion. "It's unclear whether Osaka, who lives in Bocca Raton, Florida, plans to change her place of residence as a result of the decision. "Though Osaka would have had to decide one way or another, she "It means a lot to me because I've never played in an Olympics before," Osaka said. Two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka intends to play for host country Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by choosing Japanese nationality. “They are different from previous generations. “If you basically maintain the spirit of the current nationality act, that will be a huge deterrent for athletes and other members of what’s called the global talent pool to stay in Japan.”For older generations, opening Japan to a pool of newly naturalized citizens could generate a considerable political backlash.But younger Japanese are growing more accustomed to living and working with international neighbors and colleagues.“Young people in their 20s now are much more familiar with foreigners or so-called ‘hafu,’” said Satoko Takeda, a visiting researcher at Osaka University of Economics and Law, using the Japanese term, from the English word “half,” to describe those of mixed-race descent like Ms. Osaka. Naomi Osaka may be forced to choose between Japanese and American citizenship (Getty) Reigning US Open and Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka could face a huge decision about her future. "She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. With the philosophy of "Better Starts Now," CITIZEN and Naomi Osaka will keep working on creating a … CITIZEN embarks on a new pivotal brand initiative since its foundation a hundred years ago in 1918. I don’t think the government wants to admit that or the public to know that.”Three years ago, when Renho Murata, whose father is from Taiwan, ran as the first woman to lead the opposition Democratic Party, Partly in response to the frenzy over Ms. Murata, Kimi Onoda, a member of Parliament from the governing Liberal Democratic Party who was born in the United States to an American father and a Japanese mother, formally renounced her American citizenship.Ms. When asked by reporters which nationality she intended to choose, she responded with trademark feistiness.“I’m pretty sure it’s obvious,” she said at a news conference following the China Open in October. Under Japanese law, after Osaka turns 22 on Oct. 16, she will be required as a dual-nationality citizen to choose one. Since then, she notched a second Grand Slam title after defeating Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open, which she called one of the "happiest moments" of her life. As a mixed-race person, she has helped prompt a discussion about how Japanese see their country.Toshifumi Kitamura/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesNewspapers in Tokyo reporting Ms. Osaka’s victory in the finals of the United States Open last year. Naomi Osaka, the 2018 U.S. Open champion and the world’s third-ranked tennis player, will give up her U.S. citizenship to represent Japan in the Summer Olympics next year in Tokyo. Under Osaka, whose victory in the 2019 Australian Open was her second in a Grand Slam tournament, represents Japan on the WTA Tour and in the Fed Cup. Tennis at the 2020 Summer Olympics will begin July 24, 2020.Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Naomi Osaka is making history as the first Japanese woman to make it to the finals of any tennis Grand Slam. I lived with my grandma.