Woman left in Philippines after WWII gets Japan passport, eyes visit
MANILA (Kyodo) -- A 90-year-old Japanese-Filipino woman who regained her Japanese nationality this year received a passport at the Japanese Embassy in
In Manila, a 90-year-old Japanese-Filipina woman named Adelaida Kakazu received a Japanese passport from the Japanese Embassy on Friday, expressing her eagerness to visit her father's hometown in Okinawa in December. Separated from her father following World War II, Kakazu remained in the Philippines, hoping to tell him everything that transpired after he left in 1946 when she was just ten years old.
At a press conference, Consul General Maya Hamada presented Kakazu with her passport and encouraged her to visit her relatives in Okinawa. In September, Kakazu had appealed for assistance in locating family members believed to be in the region; however, they were discovered later that month.
Expressing her happiness, Kakazu said, "Finally, I can meet my relatives in Okinawa." Born in Quezon Province, south of Manila, in December 1935, Kakazu is the daughter of a Filipino mother and a Japanese father, Noboru, who had immigrated to the Philippines to trade coconut oil before the war. During the conflict, he served as an interpreter for the Imperial Japanese Army but was subsequently captured by U.S. forces and forcibly returned to Okinawa, leaving his family behind.
Kakazu's father had written a letter expressing his desire to bring his family to Japan, but he passed away in 1951. Japan's Consul General Hamada stated that they would continue to strive to respond to the earnest wishes of people like Kakazu and others of Japanese descent left behind in the Philippines during World War II.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
