Why Filipinos in Japan Matter

DESPITE Japan's own economic woes, the country continues to lure foreign workers from Asia and other parts of the world, in search of greener pasture. Since the mid-1980s, the influx of foreign workers in Japan has been increasing in numbers, with Filipinos accounting for a significant portion of the total foreign workers' population here. In 1998, for instance, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo reported that some 245,518 Filipinos were living in Japan. This figure included 129,053 Filipino entrants and residents, 36,777 entertainers, 39,268 spouses or children of Japanese nationals, and 40,420 overstaying Filipinos.

With the 245,518-strong Filipino population in Japan, it cannot be denied that the Philippines has benefited much from the influx of substantial amount of dollars and yen from Japan. From 1990 to 1999 alone, bank-to-bank remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Japan amounted to $1,067,220. This figure did not however include substantial amount of remittances sent to families in the Philippines through other channels.

Apparently, the remittances of Filipinos in Japan have rapidly become a major source of "life support" for the Philippines' ailing economy. The remittances emanating from Japan complement the remittances of other Filipinos overseas especially from countries such as, among others, the US, Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The significance of these remittances is even more appreciated at this time when the Philippines struggles to regain the value of what is now a severely depreciated peso and to save the country's economy.

Apart from "monetary contributions," however, there are other areas wherein Filipinos in Japan have either consciously or unconsciously helped the Philippines.

The Filipinos in Japan, for one, have played a part in the internationalization of Filipinos as well as in the promotion of the Philippines. Not only do the Filipinos act as agents of cultural exchanges, but also as promoters of the Philippines. Just like many Filipinos elsewhere abroad, the Filipinos in Japan participate in attracting Japanese tourists by "bringing home Japanese friends." It should be noted that Japan is the Philippines' second largest single country source of tourists, next to the US. From a level of 201,952 in 1990, tourist arrivals from Japan have been on the upswing, reaching 387,613 in 1999. Moreover, some Filipinos in Japan also help convince Japanese businessmen to invest in the Philippines.

Finally, the Filipinos exposed to Japanese life either as students, workers or residents also help transform various aspects of Filipino life the moment they return to the Philippines. In many cases, they bring home -- more than the yen, DVDs and cup noodles --good and positive new ways that may well benefit the country.

These points certainly do not sum up everything about what the Filipinos in Japan do for the Philippines. They are, in fact, only some of the many contributions of the Filipinos in Japan that augur well for Philippine interests.

But just as the Filipinos in Japan contribute to the development of the Philippines, they also contribute to Japan's development. While these contributions are often complex and difficult to quantify, their value in terms of benefit for the Japanese are certainly far-reaching and much more profound.

According to Prof. Mamoru Tsuda, a specialist on Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies from the Osaka University of Foreign Studies, the Philippines' contribution to Japan's development has not really been given much importance or thought both by the Japanese and the Filipinos themselves. However, he pointed out that the Philippines' greatest contribution to the development of Japan lies in the presence of the Filipinos in the country. For Prof. Tsuda, Japan has actually learned so many good lessons from the Philippines.

Over the years, Filipinos in Japan have significantly contributed to heightened cultural exchanges between the two countries -- events that apparently hastened the transformation of the Japanese civil society as well as enhanced Japan's rapid opening up and internationalization.

In retrospect, it is important to recall that it was the plight of Filipino women in Japan that provided the impetus for the emergence of many new NGOs in local Japanese communities. Tsuda noted that "it was also the cases of Filipino women in Japan that prompted many local Japanese government offices to introduce welfare services to foreigners, especially non-Japanese speaking people, in need of social assistance. And it was again the plight of Filipino women that paved the way for mainstream groups such as the Japan Federation of the Bar Associations, or the equivalent of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, to provide legal services to non-Japanese speaking people in need of legal assistance."

Prof. Tsuda further added that "the Filipinos in Japan, particularly the women, also helped initiate networking that later changed a great deal of how many of Japan's grassroots groups became concerned with the neighboring Asian countries and their people. As Japanese NGOs started to send their leaders and members to the Philippines, they go back to their country refreshed, with a new sense of direction, optimism and organizing skills as they learn a great deal from the Filipinos." Many Japanese professors even opine that they too learn so much from their Filipino counterparts. Some even say they owe their English ability to their Filipino friends.

In religion, equally noteworthy is the fact that the Filipinos and the Latinos of Japanese-descent revived Japanese Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church, in Japan. Of late, there have been increasing numbers of Japanese Christians who are very much involved in the activities of international Christian communities both in Japan and abroad.

It is therefore safe to say that much credit should be given to the Filipinos in Japan for their positive influences on Japanese society. But just as they overlook the essential impact of their contributions, so do we Filipinos here at home fail to realize that our fellow Filipinos in Japan and everywhere can, and do make a difference. *

The author currently heads the Northeast Asia Program of the Center for International Relations & Strategic Studies of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The views and analyses expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the FSI or the DFA. You may email the author at rodriguex@hotmail.com.

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