ABSTRACT
The Japanese expatriation law provides for expatriation in three ways: a Japanese minor born abroad can free themselves of Japanese nationality first, if below the age of fifteen, at the request of a legal representative; It includes if between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, only with the consent of their parent or guardian; and if above the age of seventeen, only after serving in the Japanese army or navy, or released from such an obligation. A State law specifically barring the Japanese from owning land might therefore be constitutional. Although the tax applied to all aliens, it was aimed at the Japanese. The protection of the amendment extends to "persons" who includes aliens, whether eligible to citizenship or not. It has been frequently asserted that in discriminating between aliens eligible and aliens ineligible to citizenship, this land legislation is a violation of these provisions of the fourteenth amendment.
