Two Nikkei-jins depart for Japan
Two Nikkei-jins on Thursday departed for Japan, the first time in four years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center Representative Director Norihiro Inomata.
Rosa Masako Kanashiro, 80, and Samuel Akaiji, 81, left for Japan from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal boarding on Philippine Airlines flight (PR 426) at 7:10 am.
Kanashiro was born in Davao to a Japanese barber and a Filipina working at a restaurant. When World War II broke out, her father joined the Japanese Army and promised to return but he never came back.
Her only proof of being the daughter of a Japanese is her baptismal certificate from a Davao church.
Akaiji, a resident of Palawan, was the son of a Japanese fisherman and a Filipina. His father was killed by guerillas during World War II when he was buying rice for his family.
Kanashiro was accompanied by her youngest son, Armand Mata Antipuesto, while Akaiji was accompanied by his niece Michico Ormida.
Antipuesto said his mother was so excited, she woke up early for the trip. “She was so excited she woke up at 3 am,” he said.
Ormida said her uncle could barely sleep because he was looking forward to seeing his father's relatives in Japan.
“He had a hard time sleeping because he was so excited and he was worried about whether his father’s relatives would accept him,” she said.
Inomata said that stateless people face several challenges when they try to leave the country.
He explains that Akaiji had difficulty with his application because his birth is not registered.
“There is no registration of him being either Filipino or Japanese. It is difficult for documents to be accepted at the Local Civil Registry. Particularly in the Philippines, the more rural you go, the less knowledgeable the government officials are, and the more they take the attitude of ‘we won't accept anything without these documents’. It was accepted at the last minute. He was later certified stateless by the Department of Justice (DOJ),” Inomata said.
“Originally, the applicant would have to go to the department headquarters, but a DOJ official kindly came to Coron Island to interview him. That was last Thursday,” he added.
Inomata said that after Akaiji was certified as stateless, he needed to get the necessary travel documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) since stateless people could not get a Philippine passport.
Akaiji needed to get a recommendation from the DOJ’s Refugee and Stateless Persons Protection Unit to obtain the travel documents, which he received on Wednesday, he added.
Lastly, he said Akaiji had to go to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to complete the procedures for obtaining departure and re-entry permits.
Meanwhile, Inomata said Kanashiro’s case was the typical situation of Nikkei-jins who remain in the Philippines and have no documents to prove they are descendants of war-displaced Japanese.
“Her father is from Okinawa. Her father's name is Kanashiro Koshie. He owned a barber shop in Davao City. There are only these three pieces of information. There are many second-generation people like this left,” Inomata said.
“If Kanashiro searches for his father's identity in Okinawa and finds relatives, she will be able to obtain testimony from the Japanese side. That would be great evidence for her nationality restoration,” he added.
Inomata said he wanted to fulfill Kanashiro’s wish to see her father’s birthplace since she was in her “twilight years.”
“Her life is in its twilight. I want her to make her dreams come true,” he said.
The two Nikkei-jins will stay in Okinawa from December 14 to 19, wherein Akaiji will visit his father’s grave in Henza, Uruma City and Kanashiro will be visiting relatives in Nanjo City.
They will also meet with the governor of Okinawa and Congresswoman Ayaka Shiomura, who organized a crowdfunding with Inomata to raise funds for the temporary homecoming of Nikkei-jins to Japan. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
