Apparently rich people say they want to leave the USA because of taxes

[Art_from_Ark]

51. No doubt there are some Americans who've decided they want to become Japanese citizens

I think there's even someone in this forum who may be traveling that path. But as you noted, they already have strong ties to Japan through marriage, etc., so it's not really like they would be giving up their US citizenship to keep from having to pay US taxes. The foreign-earned income exemption this year is around $94,000, and given that the Japanese tax rates are generally higher than US rates at that point, there would be no benefit in renouncing their US citizenship just for tax purposes. They would have to be making boatloads of money to actually be liable for US as well as Japanese taxes, and I have a feeling that most translators aren't reaching that income level. Of course, it would be different if somehow they are making big bucks off US-based investments. But then again, they would still have to file a tax return to declare their profits, regardless of their citizenship.

However, there is also a matter of reporting foreign bank accounts. US citizens living abroad have to report all bank accounts they hold in foreign countries, if the cumulative amount in all accounts together reaches $10,000 at any time during the tax year. Of course, if one lives in Japan, one must have at least one Japanese bank account. For the past tax year, the $10,000 threshold would be equivalent to roughly 800,000 yen, which in Japan is not a whole lot of money. The information that must be provided about said bank accounts has been getting more and more, how shall I say, kibishii. I don't think any other advanced country demands this of its citizens living in other countries.