Latest news with #TakeiJose
NHK
7 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
4 of Japanese descent in Philippines seek Japanese citizenship
Four people of Japanese descent who say they were left behind in the Philippines in the chaotic conclusion of World War Two have lodged citizenship claims with Japanese courts. Eighty years on from the end of the war, there are still about 50 such people in the Philippines pursuing citizenship claims in Japan. They say they were born to Japanese fathers who immigrated to the Philippines before the war and Filipino mothers, but remain stateless due to a lack of documents proving their fathers were Japanese citizens. A supporting group told reporters on Tuesday the four people, aged 79 to 82, have filed cases in family courts in Tokyo and Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. The group says it has assisted in conducting DNA analyses and gathering material to substantiate blood ties between each of the four and their fathers and other relatives. It says family courts have so far granted citizenship to 324 people of Japanese descent. Ishii Kyoko, the group's secretary general, says some people are still trying to determine the identity of their fathers, which makes it even harder to find proof of their Japanese lineage. She said the average age of people pursuing such claims is 83, so time is running out. One of the four plaintiffs, Takei Jose, is 82 years old. He is scheduled to visit Japan on Wednesday, with support from the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He will meet with relatives in Osaka, western Japan.
NHK
05-08-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Japanese descendant in Philippines voices ahead of Japan visit
A person of Japanese descent left behind in the Philippines at the end of World War Two has expressed hope ahead of his first trip to Japan. The trip is being sponsored by a Japanese government program for people in the Philippines born to Japanese fathers before and during the war. Takei Jose, one of the descendants, held a press conference in Manila on Tuesday. Takei is one of about 50 stateless people in the Philippines who claim Japanese parentage. They are seeking recognition by Tokyo. Takei plans to go to Osaka to visit his relatives and his father's grave. Takei said he hopes that he can visit the place where his father was born. It's been his longtime dream to go to Japan. The 82-year-old was born to a Japanese father who worked as an engineer and a Filipino mother. But his father went missing before he was born. When Takei met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru in April in Manila, he called for more help for descendants like himself. Ishiba said he would work to ensure that they would obtain Japanese nationality and a visit to Japan as soon as possible. Takei visited his mother's grave to tell her about his first trip to Japan, which begins on Wednesday. The cost of the trip is being covered by the government program for descendants.
