| Post: | Ambassador |
| Body: | the Republic of the Philippines to Japan Sugo ng Republika ng Pilipinas sa Hapon |
| Native Name: | 駐日フィリピン共和国大使 |
| Insignia: | Seal of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines |
| Department: | Department of Foreign Affairs Embassy of the Philippines, Tokyo |
| Reports To: | Department of Foreign Affairs |
| Incumbent: | Mylene Garcia-Albano |
| Style: | His Excellency |
| Residence: | The Kudan |
| Seat: | Chome-15-5, Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan |
| Nominator: | Secretary of Foreign Affairs |
| Termlength: | No fixed term |
| Inaugural: | Jorge B. Vargas |
| Website: | Philippine Embassy, Tokyo |
The ambassador of the Philippines to Japan (Filipino; Pilipino: Sugo ng Republika ng Pilipinas sa Hapon; Japanese: 駐日フィリピン共和国大使|Chū Ni~Tsu firipinkyōwakoku taishi|lead=yes) is the Republic of the Philippines' foremost diplomatic representative in the State of Japan. As officer of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the head of the embassy, and the head of the Philippines' diplomatic mission there, the ambassador is the official representative of the president and the government of the Philippines to the emperor and government of Japan. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.
The ambassador is based at the embassy at 5 Chome-15-5, Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan and resided in The Kudan, located in 1-1-1 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
The position is currently held by Mylene Garcia-Albano since August 12, 2022.[1]
The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on October 14, 1943, following the inauguration of the Second Republic under the administration of President Jose P. Laurel and in the midst of the Second World War. Jorge B. Vargas, who was previously served as President Manuel L. Quezon's Secretary of National Defense and Executive Secretary, was appointed ambassador to the Empire of Japan after he declined to assume the Presidency under the Japanese occupation.
Following the defeat of Japan on September 2, 1945, relations were suspended and the post of the Philippine ambassador to the Japanese mainland became dormant until 1952 since the relations and credentials were redirected to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in occupied Japan. In October 1952, the Japanese embassy in Manila was reestablished, pursuant to the Treaty of San Francisco that was signed on 8 September 1951 that would serve as a formal conclusion of the Second World War. On July 23, 1956, right after the ratification of the Peace Treaty and Reparations Agreement between the Philippines and Japan (signed on 9 May 1956), the diplomatic relations between the two countries were fully reinstated and the post of the Philippine ambassador to the Japanese mainland was re-established.[2]
| Ambassador[3] | Tenure | Japanese emperor | Japanese prime minister | Philippine president | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge B. Vargas | 1943–1945 | Hirohito | Hideki Tojo Kuniaki Koiso Kantarō Suzuki Naruhiko Higashikuni Kijūrō Shidehara | Jose P. Laurel | [4] |
| Diplomatic relations were suspended after the Surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers on September 2, 1945, and the post remained closed until 1952 but no ambassador was posted until the re-establishment of bilateral relations on July 23, 1956. | |||||
| Felino Neri | 1956–1958 | Hirohito | Tanzan Ishibashi Nobusuke Kishi | Ramon Magsaysay Carlos P. Garcia | |
| Manuel A. Adeva | 1958–1962 | Nobusuke Kishi Hayato Ikeda | Carlos P. Garcia Diosdado Macapagal | ||
| Mauro Mendez | 1962–1964 | Hayato Ikeda Eisaku Satō | Diosdado Macapagal | ||
| Jacinto C. Borja | 1965–1966 | Eisaku Satō Kakuei Tanaka Takeo Miki Takeo Fukuda Masayoshi Ōhira Masayoshi Ito Zenkō Suzuki Yasuhiro Nakasone | Diosdado Macapagal Ferdinand Marcos | ||
| Jose S. Laurel III | 1966–1971 | Ferdinand Marcos | |||
| Roberto S. Benedicto[5] | 1972–1978 | ||||
| Carlos J. Valdez | 1978–1986 | ||||
| Ramon V. Del Rosario | 1986–1992 | Hirohito Akihito | Yasuhiro Nakasone Noboru Takeshita Sōsuke Uno Toshiki Kaifu Kiichi Miyazawa | Corazon C. Aquino Fidel V. Ramos | One of the Philippine representatives that served as mourners at the funeral ceremony of Emperor Hirohito.[6] [7] |
| Domingo L. Siazon, Jr.[8] | 1993–1995 | Akihito | Kiichi Miyazawa Morihiro Hosokawa Tsutomu Hata Tomiichi Murayama | Fidel V. Ramos Joseph Estrada | First term. |
| Alfonso Yuchengco | 1995–1998 | Tomiichi Murayama Ryūtarō Hashimoto Keizō Obuchi | |||
| Romeo A. Arguelles | 1998–2001 | Keizō Obuchi Yoshirō Mori Junichirō Koizumi | Joseph Estrada Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo | ||
| Domingo L. Siazon, Jr.[9] | 2001–2010 | Junichirō Koizumi Shinzō Abe Yasuo Fukuda Tarō Asō Yukio Hatoyama Naoto Kan | Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Benigno Aquino III | Second term. | |
| Manuel M. Lopez[10] [11] | 2011–2016 | Naoto Kan Yoshihiko Noda Shinzō Abe | Benigno Aquino III Rodrigo Duterte | Credentials were presented to Emperor Akihito on 7 April 2011.[12] [13] | |
| Jose C. Laurel V | 2017–2022 | Akihito Naruhito | Shinzō Abe Yoshihide Suga Fumio Kishida | Rodrigo Duterte Bongbong Marcos | Son of former ambassador to Japan from 1966 to 1971, Jose S. Laurel III. Credentials were presented to Emperor Akihito on 9 June 2017.[14] [15] [16] |
| Robespierre L. Bolivar | 2022 | Naruhito | Fumio Kishida | Bongbong Marcos | Briefly served as the Philippine ambassador (in the capacity of Chargé d’Affaires) to Japan from 1 July 2022 to 12 August 2022. |
| Mylene Garcia-Albano[17] | 2022–present | Appointed by President Marcos Jr. on August 12, 2022. Credentials were presented to Emperor Naruhito on 19 April 2023.[18] | |||