MANILA – The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines reaffirmed its support for the many remaining Filipino Nikkei-jin, or descendants of Japanese displaced during the Second World War.
This was confirmed during a meeting between Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines ENDO Kazuya and members of the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai Rengokai (Federation of Japanese Descendants) on Wednesday, in his residence in Makati City.
According to the Japanese Embassy, the Ambassador “exchanged views on [the] latest situation and issues concerning war-displaced Japanese descendants in the Philippines, or called Filipino Nikkei-jin.”
“This meeting aligns with the Embassy of Japan’s commitment to provide maximum support to as many remaining Filipino Nikkei-jin as possible, enabling them to swiftly restore Japanese nationality and temporary return to Japan smoothly,” the Japanese Embassy stated.
Ambassador ENDO welcomed Camarines Sur 1st District Congressman Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, President of the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai Rengokai (Federation of Japanese Descendants), Dr. Ines Yamanouchi Mallari, and the other officials of Philippine Nikkei-jin Kai to his residence.
This year, the Government of Japan has contracted the Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center to conduct the “18th Survey of Second-Generation Filipino-Nikkei-jin”, wherein individual interviews for Japanese nationality acquisition were scheduled from May to July 2024 in Cebu and Davao.
In its notice posted on its website, the Japanese Embassy reiterated its “support for those wishing to acquire Japanese nationality” by conducting interviews, not limited to the mentioned regions, but all remaining Japanese in different locations in the Philippines who wish to acquire Japanese nationality.
According to the Embassy, Japanese nationals in the Philippines were forcibly repatriated to Japan, leaving behind their Filipino wives and children, often referred to as “remaining Japanese’ or 2nd Generation Nikkei-jin.
“Many of them went into hiding in the Philippine mountains or remote areas and were forced into impoverished living conditions, enduring a prolonged post-war period without proper identification and nationality acquisition,” the Embassy noted.
Interviews were already conducted in Linapacan and Coron in Palawan; and National Capital Region (NCR) in May 2024.
Interviews for Cebu and Panay are scheduled for August 2024; while interviews in Mindanao are yet to be confirmed, according to the Embassy’s website.
