Manila: Some people who were born to Japanese fathers and Filipino mothers before the end of World War II and have remained in the Philippines since the war ended are unable to obtain Japanese nationality due to insufficient proof of their fathers' Japanese citizenship. As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, the Japanese government is strengthening its support for these people, who are now elderly.
According to Philippines News Agency, last month, Esperanza Morine, 87, who lives on the island of Linapacan in the western Philippines, and her sister Lydia, 85, met two relatives from the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa. It was the first meeting between the sisters, who obtained Japanese nationality last September, and a Japanese relative. The relatives were Naoaki and Yasuhiko Morine, aged 49 and 40, respectively. They were in tears as they shook the sisters' hands and made a video call to other relatives in Okinawa. Several dozen relatives living on Linapacan and elsewhere also joined the meeting. They laughed as they noticed the similarities between their faces and those of Naoaki and Yasuhiko, including their eyes, noses, and beards.
The Morine sisters were born to Kamata Morine, a native of Okinawa who moved to the Philippines before World War II, and a Filipino mother. As the Japanese and Philippine legal systems at the time required children to take their fathers' nationality, the sisters should have been registered as Japanese. Kamata died in March 1945, shortly before the end of the war. The remaining family avoided using the surname Morine and hid their links to Japan, out of fear of persecution amid strong anti-Japanese sentiment in the Philippines, which had been occupied by Japanese forces.
As a result, they became stateless. Around a decade ago, the sisters learned that they could apply for Japanese nationality. This made them feel a strong desire to be recognized as Japanese. After finding their parents' marriage records and relatives in Okinawa, the Morine sisters obtained Japanese nationality. Meanwhile, others in similar situations have died without finding such proof and gaining Japanese nationality.
According to the Japanese government, more than 1,600 such people have acquired Japanese nationality so far. Meanwhile, 49 people are still seeking to obtain it, and their average age is above 80. During his late April visit to Manila, the capital of the Southeast Asian country, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Japanese descendants in the country and said the government will help them obtain Japanese nationality and temporarily return to Japan. At the meeting, Carlos Teraoka, 94, told Ishiba that he wanted Japan to recognize "my belonging to my homeland." Teraoka sought swift measures, saying, "This is a humanitarian issue related to personal dignity, and there is no time to spare."
