Japan and Davao
With Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s historic first visit to Davao City, we note how Japan is linked to Davao. His visit actually is a retracing of Japan’s entry to our country, which started in Davao City before World War II, in a place called Mintal that was once called “Davaokuo” or Little Tokyo.
This piece of our history is on exhibit at the Davao Museum along Bonifacio Rotunda and Magallanes St. It tells of how Japanese workers came to the city in 1912 during the American occupation. They were sent to replace Lumad farm workers in some 50 plantations around the Davao Gulf.
Such strong presence was a cause of concern for some Davao locals that during the national constitutional convention in 1934, a delegate named Pantaleon Pelayo Sr. denounced the control and land acquisition of Japanese businesses in Davao as a sign of the growing power of Japan in Asia.
This made the government declare Davao as a chartered city with appointive officials. That did not stop Japan from declaring war later on and occupying this country and other parts of Asia.
Japan-Philippines relations soured during the war, with stories of Filipinos being held prisoners and forced to hard labor in tunnels. Relations returned in 1958 after Japan signed an international agreement of war reparations. From that point, Japan’s second invasion was in trade, investments and loans.
And Japan continues to do this with Abe’s visit and a guarantee of half a trillion dollars in investments to the Philippines. There are talks that it may bring infrastructure and trains to Davao City.
But do aid and investments bring jobs, development or bring in negative effects such as strict labor policies, environment issues, or displacement of communities?
Japan’s presence here has come a long way from that country having citizens in Mintal in Davao City to its being a donor-superpower. President Duterte calls the relationship with Japan as “kinship.” But we must look at this with guarded optimism and in consideration of past lessons and struggles.--