Descendants in Philippines Denied Japanese Citizenship

Tokyo, Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)–Family courts in Tokyo and Okinawa Prefecture have rejected claims for Japanese citizenship filed by four Japanese descendants living in the Philippines. The four, aged 79 to 82, were born to Japanese fathers and Filipino mothers, and became stateless after being left in the Southeast Asian nation following the end of World War II, according to their lawyers at a press conference in Tokyo. While Japan’s former nationality law granted Japanese citizenship to people with Japanese fathers, the family courts noted that the law referred only to legal fathers. Although DNA tests confirmed that one of the four had a Japanese biological father, the family courts ruled that the four were not recognized by their Japanese fathers, and therefore rejected their claims. In a statement released through his lawyers, Jose Takei, 82, one of the Japanese descendants, said that the court decision was very regrettable, and that he hopes to receive citizenship while he is in good health. Takei visited Japan for the first time in August, with support from Japan’s Foreign Ministry. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]