Filipinos in Japan Filipinos in Japan formed a population of 202,592 individuals at year-end 2007, making them Japan's fourth-largest foreign community, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Justice. Wikipedia.
Filipinos and Nepalese face challenges in Japan even as their communities grow This article explains the situation of two very different migrant communities in Japan, looking at the mainly female Filipino community which includes many permanent residents and at issues if faces, especially connected with care work and domestic labor by Filipino women. Japan Times, 3 Jan 2018.
Traffickers target Filipino-Japanese kids This articles looks at how brokers (or traffickers) target Filipino women who have gad children with Japanese men want to get Japanese nationality for their children. "This has given rise to an increasing number of brokers seeking to profit from women seeking a better life for their children. For many it turns into nothing more than a nightmare." Nikkei Asian Review, November 02, 2016.
Filipinos in Japan call for acceptance with new film This article looks at a film made by Filipinos in Japan, called “Accept Us Maybe” which asks Japanese society to recognize the positive contributions that Filipinos are making. Featured in the film are Filipino English teachers, volunteers and elderly-care workers in Tohoku. Japan Times, 12 Jan 2015
Fake Marriages and Filipina Hostesses in Japan by Nakashima Kōshō This piece looks at the situation of Filipino women who work as hostesses in pubs and bars in Japan, many of whom enter 'fake' marriages with Japanese men to Japan because there is no visa for working as a hostess, explains the exploitative conditions many work in which may be a kind of human trafficking, and considers the reason that Filipino women get involved in this kind of work. Nippon.com, 23 Apr 2018.
Six Filipino-Japanese to press for Japanese citizenship Six descendants of Japanese who live in the Philippines will leave for Tokyo on Tuesday to appeal for official recognition as Japanese citizens, an organization helping them said Monday. Japan Times, 4 Aug 2014.
Filipino woman meets Japanese kin for first time On May 16, a 73-year-old Filipino-Japanese woman from the southern Philippine province of Davao met her Japanese relatives from Okinawa for the first time ever.
Kawasaki’s Filipinos form support base This an article about the Kawayan Group Information Center for Filipino Women’s Community and Sari Sari Store in Kasasaki which provides language lessons, advice about public services and access computers fro Filipino women, and also sells Filipino foodstuffs. Japan Times, 20 Aug 2008.
Kalakasan Migrant Women Empowerment Centre in Kawasaki: "We support women struggling to resolve various difficulties they face such as being caught in abusive relationships, starting life again with their children after fleeing from such relationships, legalizing visa status, and addressing problems related to child recognition, rearing and education while in Japan." This organisation was set up by Mardonia Nishimoto - see above for her story. See also: Help for abused migrant women in Japan Leny Tolentino, lay missionary at the Kalakasan Migrant Women Empowerment Centre near Tokyo, talks about how the centre helps Filipino women who are suffering physical abuse or having legal problems. Caritas, 17 July 2012. And Living in Japan as an Immigrant Woman Coming to Japan as a Filipino-immigrant woman 23 years ago, Ms. Mardonia Nishimoto now works to support other immigrant women living in Japan. Through her own experiences, she came to tell Japanese people and Society what it is like to live in Japan as an immigrant woman.
Center offers help to abused Filipinos The Filipino Migrants Center in Nagoya has helped resolve more than 1,000 domestic violence and other cases since it was established in 2000. Many Filipino women go to the Center claiming abuse by their husbands and many other Filipinos also seek help, for example, for their children taken into police custody. Japan Times, Oct 9, 2013. More information on the Filipino Migrants Center here.
Girl chooses Japan over parents A teenager in Japan whose parents are being deported to the Philippines has decided to stay in Tokyo with her aunt. After the family lost a three-year battle to remain in Japan, Noriko Calderon, 13, had to choose whether to stay in Japan or go with her parents. BBC News, 14 April 2009.
Center For Japanse -Filipino families "CJFF is an ecumenical service center in Japan which provide support to the members of Japanese-Filipino families. It does so through community formation, family life enhancement and counseling, education and training on legal rights, exposition of creative skills and arts, development of data base, information dissemination for advocacy, and developing network and linkages for the advancement of rights and welfare of Japanese-Filipino families."
Japanese-Filipino children pay for their fathers' mistakes An article about the experiences of children with Japanese mothers and Filipino fathers. Asahi, June 25, 2012.
New round of entertainer visa changes — help or hindrance? "The government introduced stricter rules Thursday for businesses that employ foreign workers on "entertainer" visas, a large segment of whom are hostesses working in bars, saying it will curb human-trafficking, but employers and labor advocates are skeptical." Japan Times, June 2, 2006.
Japanese ruling may split family The Japanese government has ordered the parents of a young Filipina to leave the country within two weeks....Noriko Calderon was born and raised in Japan and speaks only Japanese but now faces being left behind or being deported. BBC News, 13 February 2009.
Japan curbs 'entertainment visas' Japan has started applying stricter regulations on the tens of thousands of Filipinos who come to Japan on so-called entertainment visas. The new measure is a response to criticism of Japan's failure to curb human trafficking. Many Filipinos who arrive on such visas end up working in Japan's sex industry. BBC News, 15 March, 2005.
Japanese-Filipino kids await fate: Top court to rule on nationality law tied to paternal recognition An article on the background to a court case about children born in Japan to unmarried Filipino women and Japanese men cannot get Japanese nationality. It loooks at the situation of one of thees children, Masami Tapiru, as well as at the history and situation of Filipino women coming to work in Japan. Japan Times, June 4, 2008. For the result of this case, see the story below:
Bar to kids' citizenship ruled illegal: Supreme Court opens door to unwed foreign moms' children In a ruling sure to affect thousands of others born out of wedlock to non-Japanese mothers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted 10 children of Filipino women the right to Japanese nationality. Saying it led to unreasonable discrimination, 12 of the 15 justices on the top court's grand bench ruled unconstitutional a provision in the Nationality Law that states that such children can only become citizens of the mother's home country. Japan Times, June 5, 2008.
A glimmer of hope for castoffs: NGO finding jobs for young, desperate Japanese-Filipinos In the Philippines, Japanese-Filipinos, known as "Japinos," are often looked down on as children of "Japayukis," or Filipino women who work as bar girls, waitresses or entertainers in Japan. This article looks at their situation and at the work of an NGO in the Philippines, Shin-Nikkeijin Network Association, Cebu Inc., or SNN, that helps these children locate their Japanese fathers and seek financial support. It also gives some background about the immigration in recent years of Filipino workers, esepcially women, to Japan. Japan Times, Oct. 11, 2006.
Citizen’s Network for Japanese Filipino Children We are a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Tokyo. We support Japanese-Filipino Children (JFC) who are born to Filipino mothers and Japanese fathers.
OM conducts project for Japanese Filipino children The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that it is undertaking a two-year project to improve multi-agency cooperation and raise awareness on issues faced by an estimated 200,000 Japanese Filipino children (JFC) in Japan and in the Philippines. abs-cbn NEWS, 03/26/2009.
Japanese-Filipino children from the Philippines-based NGO “DAWN” visit the Center An article about the visit of Seven Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) and three female staff members of the Filipino NGO “DAWN (Development Action for Women Network)” to the National Women's Education Center in Japan. It also descibes the work of DAWN to help Filipino women with children fathered by Japanese men and their children, mainly by supporting women’s independence and providing legal and financial assistance to both mother and her children.
The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) is a non-government development organization created on February 6, 1996 to assist Filipino women migrants in Japan and their Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) in the promotion and protection of their human rights and welfare.
Most Jap-Fils prefer dad's 'love' over citizenship Most Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) would rather meet their fathers in person and be recognized as their children than be granted Japanese citizenship. This article also gives some background on Filipino women who went to work in Japan, mainly in the 'entertainment industry' and on the identity crisis faced by Japanese-Filipino children. GMANews.TV, 08/21/2008.
'Japanese' kids speak out over identity battle Looks at the situation of children born out of marraige to a Japanese father and a Filipino mother who can't get Japanese nationality and at a law suit they are bringing to have the law changed to allow them to become Japanese. Daily Yomiuri, October 2, 2005.
Japanese-Filipino children begin new lives in fathers’ homeland Thirteen Japanese-Filipino children and 14 Filipino mothers left for Japan on Monday, realizing a long-held dream to live in their Japanese fathers’ or husbands’ homeland. Japan Times, Oct 14, 2008
Japanese settlement in the Philippines: A Wikipedia article
Japan-Philippines Relations: Basic data
Japan-Philippines Relations: A Wikipedia article
"A glimmer of hope for castoffs NGO finding jobs for young, desperate Japanese-Filipinos" is a 2006 Japan Times article about Japanese-Filipino children. It reports on children who were forced to move back to Philippines after their Japanese fathers left them.
Filipinos in Japan are exploited, an OFW says from the Sun-Start newspaper in the Philippines, 2007.
Fukushima “Heroes” A 2011 Philippine Embassy announcement about four Filipino caregivers working in the institution for the elderly located in Fukushima Prefecture.
Japan cuts Filipino nurses some slack is a 2011 newspaper article explaining how the Japanese government has decided to revise the qualifying exams for care-givers and make it easier for the applicants to pass.
Filipino English Teachers in Japan "FETJ is an association of Filipino English teachers in Japan which provides support to its members by facilitating regular education through trainings, continuous communication, and assistance in job placements."
Citizenship for kids still tall order "Many observers of the Nationality Law have welcomed the government’s proposed revision approved Tuesday by the Cabinet that will soon allow hundreds of children born out of wedlock to Japanese men and foreign women to obtain Japanese nationality if the father recognizes paternity even after birth." Japan Times, NOV 5, 2008.
website for the Filipino Community at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Japan is the title of an International Labour Organisation report that focus on the serious problems of sexual exploitation in Japan as a destination country for human trafficking. Pages 22-31 of this report deal with Philippine nationals trafficked to Japan.
Why are Most Filipino Workers in Japan Entertainers?: Perspectives from History and Law This is the title of a 2007 paper that looks at the historical development of overseas Filipinos' occupations in Japan from musician to entertainer.
Trafficking of Filipino Women to Japan: Examining the Experiences and Perspectives of Victims and Government Experts This is the title of a report carried out by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute in Turin, Italy as part of a project on trafficking in human beings from the Philippines.
Educational Challenges of a Japanese-Filipino Child in a Japanese Classroom A short academic article that looks at the experinces of a Japanese-Filipino elementary school studnt to understnad the challgnes facing bicultural children in Japan, especially in terms of language, classroom discipline and parent-school relationships. Click on the blue button int he top right to download the pdf file. By Melvin Jabar, DE LA Salle University, July 2011.
Japanese-Filipino Students and Overcoming Their Difficulties This academic article looks at the history and situation of Japanese-Filipino families and, through a case study of a school in Kyoto, the difficulties faced by Japanese-Filipino children in terms of family life (especially for single mother families), language issues, questions of identity and and the Japanese school system. By Sena Nukata, Kyoto University, no date but probably 2015 (includes data from 2013 and 2014).