The June 4 decision of the Japan Supreme Court will reverse the old law which only grants nationality to Japanese-Filipino children whose parents were married legally. The new law will include children whose parents are not legally married.
BY GERMELINA A. LACORTE
Davao Today
Posted by Bulatlat.com
Vol. VIII, No. 30, August 31-September 6, 2008
DAVAO CITY— James Akiyama, 20, has regularly been receiving support money from his Japanese father since he was born.
But under the old law of Japan, Japanese Filipino children like him could never become full-fledged Japanese citizens because their parents never married.
“The June 4 ruling of the Japanese Supreme Court will change this,” said Japanese Lawyer Hironori Kondoh of the Tokyo-based Japanese-Filipino Children Lawyers Association during his visit to Davao early this month.
“The Japanese Supreme Court has pronounced the old ruling as “unconstitutional,” Kondoh told a jampacked room of affected Japanese Filipino children and their mothers. “It’s not the fault of the children that their parents were unmarried.”
Kondoh said that the June 4 decision of the Japan Supreme Court will reverse the old law which only grants nationality to Japanese-Filipino children whose parents were married legally. He said that the new law will include children whose parents are not legally married.
Japanese media expect the Diet (Japanese Parliament) to start session towards the end of August. Although there is some opposition to the law, there is a big chance that it will be passed, according to Kondoh, one of the 60 lawyers helping the Japanese Filipino children in Japan.
Kondoh urged Japanese Filipino children in a forum to take advantage of the new law.
He said children and mothers living in Davao can apply before the Japanese embassy once the law takes effect. He also said the application must be done before the child reaches 20 years old. “Japanese-Filipino children from 16 to 19 years old should prepare their documents as soon as possible,” he said.
Akiyama welcomes the new ruling of the Japanese Supreme Court (SC), saying it will give him a chance to see his father, whom he has never met since he was three years old.
The new ruling is expected to open applications for Japanese citizenship among tens of thousands of Japanese Filipino children abandoned by their fathers.
“All they want is recognition more than anything else,” said Sr. Celine Cajanding, executive director of the Center for Overseas Workers Development Inc. (Cowdi), which has been assisting women with Japanese Filipino children in Davao. “They’re saying that if they can’t go there themselves, at least, their children can.”
Jean Bingcoy, president of the Samahan ng Kababaihan para sa Karapatan ng mga Japanese Filipino Children (Women’s Association for the Rights of Japanese-Filipino Children), said her 11-year-old son has not been recognized under the law, although his father has been sending financial support once in a while.
“The new law will help a lot,” she said, “Parents do not need to get married to have their children recognized.”
She said that if the new law will push through, many children abandoned by their Japanese fathers will be looking for a chance to go to Japan. “Life is better in Japan compared to here,” said Bingcoy.
“Some women are also hoping that through their children, they can get residency and a passport,” said Cajanding. “They are the ones who would take care of the children, so, they’ll be allowed to go there.”
At least 40 members of the SKKJ are living in Davao with their Japanese Filipino children, whose fathers are in Japan. Some of these Japanese fathers are sending them financial support while others are not, Cajanding said.
“We expect the Diet (Parliament) to revise the nationality law in August,” said Kondoh. “But even before the law is revised, the government will start accepting application for nationality before September.”
Naoko Kono, executive director of the Maligaya House, a Manila-based NGOs assisting Japanese-Filipino children and their mothers, said their Manila office has handled 840 cases of Japanese Filipino children in Manila since 1994. The cases included those children abandoned by their Japanese fathers.
“Most of these children have no official legal recognition and have not been supported financially,” said Kono. “They need food and money.”
Most of mothers are already married, she said. “But in other cases their Japanese husbands divorced them without their consent,” she said of the Filipina wives. “Sometimes, the husbands falsify their wife’s signatures; in which case, we help the woman file a criminal case against the husband and require the husband to give financial support.”
She said that their Tokyo office handle 500 cases since they opened about 10 years ago. Most of these cases were endorsed by Maligaya House.
The disparity of the living conditions between Japan and the Philippines pushes more Filipinas to find work in Japan, where they mostly land as entertainers.
Kono said that they’re currently handling 20 to 30 ongoing paternity cases. Of the 843 cases they handled in 10 years, only 20 or 30 per cent were successful.
“Oftentimes, the mother drops the case because she doesn’t want to prolong her agonies. She wants to move on with her life and marry someone else,” Kono said. Davao Today / Posted by (Bulatlat.com)
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July 31st, 2009 at 9:21 pm
i have 3 son.and the father is also japanese.but all of them born in philippines.can u give me ur contact no.?
October 21st, 2010 at 1:17 pm
i am also a half Japanese how can i join this group? i just want to find my father.thank you!
April 19th, 2011 at 1:18 am
my daughter is already 15 years old and her father is a japanese, we are hoping that somebody can help us about her support.we are looking further for your help and consideration. Thank you.
July 24th, 2011 at 11:24 am
im the sister of nanette v hewe,she have a 8year old son abandoned since hes 2year old…my sister is dead last 2006…were hoping for a help…hes a half japanese..
December 17th, 2011 at 10:11 am
i was married to a japanese.we have a son that he abandoned when we got separated.if there is an organization that helps these children get their rights.i am so willing to cooperate
January 13th, 2012 at 7:22 am
i have a 8 yr old son but i’m not married to his japanese father, since birth they haven’t seen each other but he gives a little financial support. can my son get his citizenship as a japanese? what are the papers required? his birth certificate was registered but not signed by the father. thank you. waiting for response
January 16th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
I’m also a half Japanese. 19 years of age and is recognized by my Japanese father. However our real problem is that my father himself lacks financial stability and doesn’t have income tax return. Making it difficult for me to apply for japanese visa as well as japanese citizenship.
Please do help me even just for a legal advice would be fine or anything that you can offer…
I’m hoping for your positive response. Thank you & more power!
January 17th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
We are sorry we do not know any immigration lawyers. Thank you.
March 2nd, 2012 at 1:20 pm
i have a son, born in japan and with a japanese father.i was married before and because of a DV problem, i divorced my japanese husband. can you help me? Can my son get any support from the government? Me and my son are now living here in the Philippines.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:14 pm
..me and my brother also a half japanese half filipino im 15years old now and my brother is 19 years old.my mother not legally married to our father who is a japanese,but we are recognized by our father.he supported us but not enough to support my brother in his tuition fee in college..he stop goin to school..my father dont want us to go to college..he told my mother when i finished highschool he will stop sending..now im finished 3rd year..suddenly he stop sending ..mother tried to contact my father but hard to locate. bcoz, my father gives his office number only..can we ask some advice from you..bcoz we really wanted to finished college and get some job bcoz my mother dont have a job..and lastly can we acquire a citizenship in japan?please..ill be waiting for your response thanks and more power….
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:39 pm
my brother and I are also half Japanese and half Filipino..my mother was not legally married to my father who was a Japanese..he send money but not enough to pay for my brothers tuition fee in college..and we learned that father told my mother if ill finished in highschool he will stop sending money.my father don’t want us to go to college .now im about to finished in 3rd year .now he stop sending .my mom tried to contact him but his always not in the office.. were all worried of what might happen to him.we don’t have any phone numbers except his office number only. I really want to go to school and finished college with my brother to have a good job, because our mother don`t have a job.Please help us about our problem, i`ll be waiting for your response . thanks and god bless you more power to you!
May 11th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
how can i join this group
May 16th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
I am Kenji yoshhida 15 yrs old and i have younger sister Ai Yoshida we have same father he didn’t support us for almost 10 yrs how can i join this group? Im hoping that you can help me and my younger sister..we can’t continue our schooling because we have remaining bal.to our old school..we really want to settle that to continue our schooling..hope you can help us..God bless and more power!!Thanks
May 17th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
I am a japanese citizen i was born in japan on july 16 at yokohama japan but my mother and father are same filipino can i recieve a support from the japanese citizen