MANILA, Jan 08 (News On Japan) - This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II, yet some individuals in the Philippines, torn apart from their Japanese parents during the war, continue to live as "stateless" citizens. An investigation sheds light on the lives of these Japanese descendants.
Five hours from Manila by propeller plane and boat lies the small island of Linapacan, devoid of modern amenities like electricity and paved roads. Among its residents are Japanese descendants forced to live a life of statelessness.
Lydia Morine (84): “(Q. What was your father's name?) Kamata Morine. (Q. Where was he from?) Okinawa.”
Lydia and her sister Esperanza Morine, daughters of a Japanese father and a Filipino mother, recount their experiences. Before the war, many Japanese migrated to the Philippines to engage in abaca farming, with the population reaching as many as 30,000 at its peak.
Many Japanese settlers married locals and started families. However, when Japan invaded the U.S.-controlled Philippines, tensions rose. Filipino guerrillas targeted Japanese soldiers and civilians, including Japanese migrants.
The sisters’ father was killed during the war, and their lives changed drastically.
Lydia Morine: “Our relatives did not let us use our father's surname. If people found out we were Japanese children, we could have been killed.”
Hiding their Japanese heritage, the sisters lived in fear. After the war, they remained stateless.
At the time, Philippine law stipulated that children inherited their father’s nationality. However, due to the chaos of the war and the lack of documentation, many second-generation Japanese left behind on remote islands could not claim Japanese citizenship.
The sisters had long hoped to obtain Japanese nationality.
Esperanza Morine: “(Q. Why do you want to become Japanese?) Because my father was Japanese. Japanese blood flows in me.”
Struggles of the Filipino Stateless Japanese
Lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai has long worked to help Filipino Japanese descendants recover their nationality.
Kawai: “She has a Japanese name, Haruko. The evidence is almost solid.”
Kawai and his colleagues have submitted evidence collected from Filipino Japanese descendants to Japanese family courts, successfully restoring the nationality of 319 individuals so far.
Kawai: “Nationality and identity are crucial. The plea to be recognized by their homeland as Japanese is a fundamental human desire.”
While parallels can be drawn to the issue of Chinese war orphans, Kawai points out that the Philippine case differs.
Kawai: “In China, it was part of a national immigration policy, but in the Philippines, it was purely private immigration. Despite both being victims of Japan’s war policies, they have been treated differently.”
Though the plight of the Filipino stateless Japanese has been raised in political discussions multiple times, comprehensive solutions have not materialized, leaving them neglected for 80 years.
Carlos Teraoka (94), who once lived as a stateless Japanese and campaigned for collective aid, expressed his frustration.
Carlos Teraoka: “We were victims of the war. We were caught up in it and suffered greatly because of it. Yet, the Japanese government did not help us, despite our repeated pleas. We were abandoned and forgotten.”
According to recent data, around 400 stateless Japanese descendants remain in the Philippines.
Together with lawyer Kawai, Norihiro Inomata of the NPO Philippine Nikkei-Jin Legal Support Center has been assisting Japanese descendants in regaining their nationality. He visited the Morine sisters to gather more evidence.
Lydia Morine: “My mother told me that my father had a thick beard that covered most of his face. He was a fisherman and owned a boat.”
With only fragments of memories from their mother, the sisters relied on scant information about their father.
Lydia Morine: “(Q. What was your father's name?) Kamata Morine. (Q. Where was he from?) Okinawa.”
Based on their testimony, a pre-war passport record of a man named Kamata Morine from Okinawa, who had migrated to the Philippines, was discovered. However, Inomata noted that this alone was insufficient.
Inomata: “They need to prepare evidence proving the father-child relationship. This process takes time, and our support is crucial.”
In pursuit of more evidence, Inomata traced Kamata Morine’s roots in Okinawa.
After locating the listed birthplace, Inomata found a database of immigration records at the prefectural library. Searching for Kamata Morine, he found that the man had traveled twice to the Philippines for fishing, consistent with the sisters’ account.
Further investigation revealed that Morine had a younger brother who also migrated to the Philippines.
Inomata: “We learned that the brother’s family is still alive. If we can obtain testimony confirming that Kamata Morine had a family in the Philippines, it would serve as crucial evidence for nationality restoration.”
Eventually, they managed to contact the grandson of Morine’s brother, who confirmed that Morine had migrated to the Philippines and died there during the war.
In September last year, the evidence was accepted, and the Morine sisters’ nationality was restored.
When interviewed, the sisters shared their feelings about finally regaining their Japanese nationality.
Lydia Morine: “(Q. How do you feel about regaining your Japanese nationality?) I am overwhelmed with happiness. I am deeply grateful to be recognized as Japanese.”
Eighty years after the war, the sisters, who lived as stateless individuals, expressed their long-standing sentiments toward Japan.
Lydia Morine: “(Q. It took a very long time. How do you feel about Japan?) Although it took time, I am very thankful to the Japanese government. I want to meet my Japanese relatives.”
(Q. What would you do if you met them?) I would like to hug them, spend time together, and talk about the years that have passed.”
The aging of stateless Japanese descendants in the Philippines is accelerating, underscoring the urgency of nationality restoration.
As of the end of March 2023, the Philippine Nikkei-Jin Legal Support Center reported a total of 3,815 Japanese descendants. Among them, 1,615 have recovered their nationality, while 1,799 died without citizenship. Currently, 401 remain stateless.
In 2019, the number of stateless individuals stood at 1,069. Over four years, 668 passed away without achieving nationality restoration.
Kawai, who has been supporting stateless Japanese descendants for years, warned that without swift action, the issue will vanish without resolution.
In May last year, Takahiro Hanada, Consul General of the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines, visited Morine and other Japanese descendants, conducting individual interviews and promising prompt support for nationality restoration.
In a statement on October 19, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya remarked, “Travel to Japan by the stateless Japanese descendants is a significant opportunity to gather necessary information for nationality restoration. We will continue working with relevant agencies to implement measures.”
However, challenges remain. In addition to support and investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, birth records and other documents are necessary, making it difficult to assist all individuals.
Kyoko Ishii, secretary general of the Philippine Nikkei-Jin Legal Support Center, emphasized the urgent need for a political solution.
Ishii: “Many individuals lack birth or marriage records. We urge the government to consider a collective rescue approach for those seeking Japanese nationality.”
Source: ANN
