Seventy-seven years on, war-displaced Filipino Japanese descendants on an island province in the western Philippines continue to struggle to openly claim their roots.
But the descendants, known as Nikkei, who reside in Palawan, where anti-Japanese sentiment has run deep due to the casualties incurred on the island during World War II, have become increasingly emboldened about revealing their ancestry.
This month, they will finally launch in Palawan a branch of an organization that helps Nikkei to press their efforts to acquire Japanese citizenship.