On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the awardees of the Foreign Minister's Commendation for Fiscal Year 2025.

They are Inomata Norihiro, Nagai Hiroko and think-tank Stratbase Institute for Strategic and International Studies

Inomata is the representative director, Non-Profit Organization Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center （PNLSC). He has been with the PNLSC since 2005 and served as its representative director from 2020.

''He has extended support to second generation Japanese descendants across all regions of the Philippines, including remote islands and mountainous area, not only by conducting survey for Japanese nationality acquisition but also consultation and resolution of legal issues related to nationality acquisition, as well as providing assistance to improve their living standard and access to education,'' the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines said.

His longstanding contributions have significantly advanced the welfare of the Philippine Nikkei-jin community and have fostered mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines.

Nagai was the former director, Ateneo De Manila University School of Social Sciences Japanese Studies Program. She has taught at the School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines since 1990 and was appointed Director of the Japanese Studies Program in 2008.

As a koto musician, she has also served as an instructor at the University of the Philippines since 2016 and is a music director for the university’s Tugma Koto Ensemble.

As a composer, she creates koto pieces and film scores, winning awards such as the Outstanding Musical Score from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas). Furthermore, she contributes to the promotion of Japanese studies and Japanese culture by performing koto at numerous Japanese cultural events.

Stratbase Institute for Strategic and International Studies is a think-tank established in the Philippines in 2004. The institute consists of prominent local researchers across a wide range of fields including the economy, security, and maritime environmental protection in the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region.

It also hosted symposiums in the Philippines, inviting diplomatic corps, experts, and researchers. Beyond academic exchanges with Japanese research institutions, the institute has provided many opportunities for our country to promote understanding of Japan’s foreign policy, inviting Japanese ambassadors and Japanese researchers to academic events as a panelist or speaker as well as publishing many journals featuring essays on Japan-Philippine relations. Japan Information and Culture Center