On August 29, 2024, the President of The Japan Foundation, Mr. KUROSAWA Shinya, visited the Nihongo Center Foundation, Inc. (NCF) in Makati City. He was accompanied by Mr. SUZUKI Ben, Country Director of Japan Foundation Manila. Mr. Francis C. Laurel, NCF Chairman, Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores, President, and Mr. Kenjiro Ogata, Academic Advisor welcomed Mr. Kurosawa.
Mr. Laurel first showed Mr. Kurosawa the memorabilia of Ambassador Jose S. Laurel III, founder of The Philippines-Japan Society, including all its affiliate organizations, including NCF.
Then, Mr. Kurosawa met with NCF Management to discuss challenges in Japanese language learning. They also exchanged ideas on areas improvement as well as opportunities for expanding Nihongo learning in the country. Given the current state of Japanese language education in the Philippines, the meeting highlighted the need for teacher training in the country to address the perennial shortage of qualified Filipino teachers of the Japanese language.
Mr. Kurosawa also met with some members of the NCF Faculty, including former Japan Foundation Grantees for Short-Term and Long-Term Teaching Training Program at JF Urawa. The teachers took turns introducing themselves and engaging in casual conversations wherein Mr. Kurosawa also shared his previous professional experiences in the Philippines.
On September 28, 2024, the Samahan ng mga Pilipinong Nag-Aral at Nanirahan sa Nippon[1] (SAPILNIP) hosted its inaugural “Nantoku Lecture Series” at the Philippines-Japan Friendship Foundation in Makati City. The lecture was conducted by, Dr. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua, Ph.D. a recognized scholar on Asian and Japanese history who delivered a thought-provoking presentation entitled “Aspiring for Meiji Paradise: Philippine Revolutionary Perceptions and Japanese Escape – Turn of the 19th Century Filipino-Japanese Interactions.”
The ”Nantoku Lectures” is an initiative of SAPILNIP spearheaded by descendants of wartime Filipino pensionados to Japan (1943-1945) who were known as the Nanpo Tokubetsu Ryugakusei 南方特別留学生 translated as Special Students from the Southern Areas (“Nantoku” for short). Todate, 45 descendants of the 50 original Filipino Nantoku have established contact with each other (both in person and online), sharing a deep-seated desire to exchange narratives of their fathers and hopefully gain understanding of the historical context, purpose and lifelong relevance of their education in Japan. Indeed, having founded both the Philippine Federation of Japan Alumni (PHILFEJA) and the ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA), the lives and character of the Nantoku from the Philippines and other Japan-occupied territories in Southeast Asia must have been significantly shaped by their shared experience as foreign students in Japan, albeit under wartime conditions.
Framed along the concept of “Filipino-Japanese Interpersonal Encounters”, Dr. Chua’s lecture delved into major socioeconomic and geopolitical shifts resulting from the vaunted Meiji Restoration beginning 1868. He traced how the the Meiji era successfully cultivated an image of modernization and progress that appealed to many Filipinos, particularly those seeking refuge and opportunity during the turbulent period of their own struggle for independence from Spanish rule. Dr. Chua also challenged the romanticized image of Japan, unveiling how the so-called “monolithic Meiji myth” misled Filipinos at the turn of the century, with hopes of also achieving Japan’s prosperity and political alignment away from its colonial moorings.
Dr. Chua further examined the ‘Myth of Modernity’ associated with Japan’s image as a beacon of progress during the Philippine struggle for independence, which juxtaposed the Japanese diaspora of that period. By placing these experiences within a broader historical context, Dr. Chua highlighted the global socio-political dynamics that shaped Filipino perceptions of Japan and Japanese migration to the Americas, Hawaii and the Philippines. He also drew parallels between the historical struggles of these early migrants and the ongoing challenges faced by contemporary overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Corollarily, Filipino revolutionaries and anti-West activists, overwhelmed and sidelined by the superior strengths of subsequent Spanish and American colonialists sought alliances among like-minded Japanese advocates which in hindsight proved illusionary. While there were not a few Japanese sympathizers to the Filipinos’ cause, official Japan could only extend nominal, covert support so as not to antagonize American and European powers in Asia at the turn of the 19th century.
Dr. Chua did not miss to highlight the extended stay in Japan of Dr. Jose P. Rizal who was enchanted by its beautiful land, culture, language and the traditional civility of its people. He also did not forget the Philippine hero’s brief dalliance with Usui Seiko, whose grave is marked in a cemetery in Ikebukuro.
Dr. Chua also touched on the migration of Japanese laborers who helped construct the monumental Kennon Road from La Union to Baguio (1903-1905). Subsequently, those Japanese either migrated to the United States or Davao occasioned by the rise of a fledgling abaca industry.
Following Dr. Chua’s lecture, a Q&A session ensued where attendees engaged in lively discussions on the relevance of historical narratives in understanding contemporary Filipino- Japanese relations. Many expressed a keen interest in how these historical events continue to shape the experiences of Filipinos living and working in Japan and perhaps even in the future.
The Lecture on ‘Aspiring for Meiji Paradise’ kicks off a series of talks and lectures leading up to the 50th Anniversary of PHILFEJA and the 70th year of the Normalization of Philippines-Japan Diplomatic Relations, both of which will be commemorated in 2026. The lecture series aims to highlight significant historical narratives on interpersonal encounters of Filipinos and Japanese that can shed light of sundry snapshots of interesting events considered minor historical footnotes, but which can bring into sharper focus the deep roots of cordial relations between the two peoples. It is hoped that the lectures will contribute to the cultivation of deeper understanding and appreciation of sociopolitical dynamics that continue to shape bilateral relations today and beyond.
[1] Association of Filipinos Who Studied and Lived in Japan / 日本留学・在留フィリピン協会
Dr. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua is a professorial lecturer at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. He teaches a wide range of topics on Japan and Asia at both the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University, where he served as Director of the Japanese Studies Program from 2013 to 2020. He obtained his AB Interdisciplinary Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University (2001), Masters in Japanese Studies (2005) and Ph.D. Social Sciences (2010) from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.
The Philippines-Japan Society, Inc. (PJS) held the 43rd Philippines-Japan Friendship Celebration and Awards Luncheon on September 26, 2024 at the Grand Hyatt Manila, BGC, Taguig. The highlight of this annual event was the conferment upon the late Prime Minister Shinzo AbeThe Philippines-Japan Society Medal of Merit for his outstanding achievements in the promotion of Philippines-Japan relations.
Mr. Francis C. Laurel, President of the Philippines-Japan Society, delivered the opening remarks, reflecting on the enduring legacy of Prime Minister Abe and his contributions to strengthening relations between the two countries. Greetings were likewise extended by H.E. Mylene J. Garcia-Albano, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Japan, and H.E. Kazuya Endo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines.
A special highlight of the luncheon was a presentation on the 2025 Osaka World EXPO by Ambassador Koji Haneda, former Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines and currently the Commissioner General of the World Exposition. Moreover, a video on an activity of the Oita National College of Technology – an awardee of the Foundation for Encouragement of Social Contribution, which is an advocacy of Madame Akie Abe – was presented.
A citation accompanying the Medal of Merit was read by Mr. Gerard B. Sanvictores, Vice-President of the Philippines-Japan Society, whereupon the Philippines-Japan Society Medal of Merit was posthumously conferred on the late Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, which was received by his wife, Madame Akie Abe.
In her heartfelt response, Madame Abe expressed her gratitude for the honor bestowed on her late husband and shared vision of Prime Minister Abe of a strong and enduring partnership between the two nations. Her words stirred the hearts of the audience whose presence paid tribute to the legacy of a great Japanese statesman who distinctively paved the way for what is now known as the ‘Golden Age of Philippines-Japan relations’.
Copies of the speeches and video presentations may be accessed through the following links.
On September 17, 2024, the Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc. (PHILJEC) hosted a Cocktail Reception at the Philippines-Japan Friendship Foundation in Makati City, dubbed as a “Meet and Greet” in honor of the newly elected officers of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI) and the Japanese Association Manila, Inc. (JAMI). Directors of both JCCIPI and JAMI and several officials of the Economic Section of the Embassy of Japan who were recently assigned to Manila graced the occasion.
PHILJEC Chairman Richard Albert I. Osmond welcomed the honorees and guests and expressed his enthusiasm for strengthening partnerships between Philippine and Japanese businessmen. In response, Mr. Harutaka Ishikawa, President of JCCIPI, and Mr. Kazunori Okamoto, President of JAMI expressed their gratitude to PHILJEC for hosting the event. They reiterated their commitment in promoting economic collaboration between Japan and the Philippines, as well as in forging interpersonal friendships between Filipinos and Japanese residents in Manila. Further, Atty. Lilia B. De Lima, PHILJEC Adviser and former PEZA Director-General gifted PHILJEC with a copy of her book “Breakthrough”.Mr. Ferdinand “Perry” A. Ferrer, Co-Chairman of PHILJEC proposed a toast after which PHILJEC members and guests mingled and enjoyed the rest of the evening.
