A group of nine Japanese children left behind in the Philippines by their parents at the end of World War II arrived in Tokyo on 2 August to make appeals for Japanese citizenship.

In the final days of the war and immediately afterward, there was much confusion and chaos in the Philippines, with the result that many Japanese civilians were separated from their families.

These Japanese people were then either forcefully repatriated to Japan, or went missing. In either case, Filipino wives and bicultural children were left behind. In many cases, documents proving the children’s nationality or their mother’s marriage to a Japanese citizen were lost. In other cases, some letters survived from the fathers, and this correspondence has proved important in their claim to Japanese citizenship.

These nine applicants' visit to Tokyo is the latest chapter in a long journey that they and many others are making to prove their claim for citizenship.

They had meetings at the Tokyo Family Court where their claims are evaluated by officials. They are being assisted by the Philippine Nikkei Legal Support Center (PNLSC) based in Tokyo, an organization working in collaboration with The Nippon Foundation to help provide clues and information for these citizenship claims.

PNLSC has worked on the behalf of many of these abandoned Japanese who have struggled for some 65 years in some cases to prove and obtain Japanese citizenship. To date, of the 127 people who have applied for help through PNLSC, 56 applicants received approval to put their case to the Tokyo Family Court to obtain a Japanese passport.

Of the 56 applicants, the nine who are currently in Japan presented their final documents and were interviewed for any remaining evidence that will help their application. During the time that the court has been deliberating the 56 applications, six have died and 13 have withdrawn their applications due to insufficient documentary support. One person’s application has been rejected.

One of the nine, Satay Kawada (69) has confirmed her father’s family ties in Hiroshima. Fortunately, she was able to produce a photo of her mother and father and their marriage certificate. This was more than enough for the family court to accept her application and grant her citizenship. Her papers are now being processed. In the meantime, she is visiting her father’s relatives in Hiroshima

On the other hand, one of the nine learned that her father was born in Kyoto but lacks other documents or proof of her family connection because all the family’s personal effects were lost in the post-war chaos. Her status is still in doubt.

Other members have identified family connections in Kumamoto, Kobe, Osaka, and Okinawa, and have presented these findings to the Tokyo Family Court for consideration.

Sifting through the facts is difficult because applicants were mainly in the 1-3 year old range at the end of the war, and have few or no memories of their parents or fathers.

But they do remember that life was tough after the war because they were bullied for being Japanese. One applicant only learned from her mother just recently that her father was Japanese.

After attending a press conference at The Nippon Foundation and meeting with various support groups in Tokyo, the group returns to the Philippines on 9 August. Photos and personal profiles in Japanese of seven of the citizenship applicants are seen below.