ANKARA: A Japanese high court has ruled that a dual nationality ban under the country’s laws was constitutional and rejected the petition of a Japanese-born US citizen, local media said on Friday.

The ruling upheld an earlier lower court verdict that the country’s nationality laws denying dual citizenship are constitutional, Anadolu Agency citing the Kyodo News agency reported.

Yuri Kondo, 77, acquired US citizenship in 2004, later applying in 2017 for a Japanese passport that local authorities in Japan refused to issue, saying she lost her Japanese nationality.

Kondo challenged the decision in a local court, which turned down her petition in December last year.

Following the high court verdict, Kondo said she would vie to overturn the ruling in the Supreme Court.

Other Japanese nationals residing in Europe who also challenged the law in the top court, lost their cases last year, according to the agency.

- Bernama, Anadolu Agency