AS the first case under the Immigration Memorandum Circular No. 2023-004: Guidelines on Philippine Nikkei-jin, Margarita Hiroko Koyama, a Japanese left behind after the World War 2, has departed Philippines and arrived in Japan on September 10.

Koyama has restored her Japanese nationality in 2017 and obtained her Japanese passport in 2019, however due to the possibility of being imposed of large amount of fines and fees by the Philippine Immigration, she was unable to return to Japan for many years.

In July this year, with the understanding and cooperation of the Philippine government, Immigration Memorandum Circular No. 2023-004 was implemented. Marking the first case under the memorandum, she has safely departed the Philippines without paying the fines and fees. She plans to stay in Japan for several months.

“The Embassy of Japan will continue to provide utmost support to as many as possible remaining Japanese descendants, in order for them to swiftly restore Japanese nationality and return to Japan smoothly,” the Embassy said in a statement.