The Japanese Filipinos are ethnic Japanese born in the Philippines. The first group includes descendants of the Japanese traders who settled there in pre-Spanish territorial period and the second group includes descendants of Japanese Catholics who fled from the religious prosecution imposed by the shoguns and settled during colonial period.

Many of them also intermarried with the local Filipina women (including those of pure or mixed Spanish descent), thus forming the new Japanese-Mestizo community. A sizeable population settled in Manila and Davao and in the 1600s in Dilao, Paco and some in Ilocos Norte Province. This hybrid group tend to be re-assimilated either into the Filipino or the Japanese, and thus no accurate denominations could be established, though their estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000. Many have been killed or expelled after World War II. Many Japanese Mestizos tend to deny their Japanese heritage in order to avoid discrimination.

The recent Japanese Filipinos are descendants of 1980's and 1990's Japanese settlers, most of whom are men, businesspeoples, and even married locals (mostly females). Many are children of thousands of Japayukis who went to Japan mostly as entertainers, helpers, and maid. As the Japayuki Filipina mothers return to the Philippines, most take their children. Many Japanese-Mestizos are teased in school.

List of Japanese Filipinos

Unmixed Japanese-Filipinos

• Dom Justo Takayama
• Sister Theresia Unno

Japanese Mestizo

• Tamlyn Tomita
• Akiko Thomson
• Gai Ono
• Josie Cruz Natori
• Kenneth Natori Jr.
• Akemi Cynthia Paule Uchima (Minami Saori in Japanese)
• Emi Cathy Watanabe

Notable Japanese Descendants

• José Rizal
• Ferdinand Marcos
• Imee Marcos

See also

• Japayuki Filipina Entertainers

External Links

• Japanese/Filipino Mestizos in Japan
• Center for Japanese/Filipino Families
• Yolanda Tasico, the Filipino Enka singer
• Filipino Japayuki