On March 3, a marker declaring the Philippine Ambassador's official residence a national historical landmark was unveiled at the building in Fujimi in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
A five minute's walk from the Imperial Palace, the residence sits on a 4,500 sq. meter piece of prime land, which was formerly owned by the family of Baron Zenjiro Yasuda (1838-1921), founder of the pre-war Yasuda zaibatsu and Yoko Ono's great-grandfather.
The residence was purchased for the Philippine government by President Jose P. Laurel in 1944, and a long list of Philippine ambassadors and their families have called it home ever since. The residence has played an important role as a venue for diplomacy and the promotion of Philippine culture.