In re Kazuichi Tsuji

Kazuichi Tsuji’s petition for naturalization presents the question whether Section 315 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which provides “any alien who applies or has applied *70 for exemption or discharge from training or service in the Armed Forces or in the National Security Training Corps of the United States on the ground that he is an alien, and is or was relieved or discharged from such training or service on such ground, shall be permanently ineligible to become a citizen of the United States”, makes petitioner ineligible for citizenship.

The petitioner is an alien of Japanese nationality, born in Japan on March 28, 1900. He lawfully entered the United States for permanent residence on March 24, 1916 and has since been continuously a lawful resident of the United States.

Until the effective date of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 he has been racially ineligible for citizenship. 1 The racial barriers as to him were lifted by the Act of 1952. 2 He now has an American-born son, serving in the United States Air Forces.

On September 12, 1918, he was a farm worker at Santa Paula, Ventura County, California, then being 18 years of age. On that day he…