Josefa Saniel, a leading scholar of Japan studies in the Philippines and an awardee of the Order of the Precious Crown, Butterfly in 1986, passed away on last December 21 at the age of 98, the Japan Embassy in the Philippines issued a statement of condolence on Tuesday.

The embassy lauded her achievements, saying “Dr. Saniel's unwavering commitment to the development of Japanese Studies has rightfully earned her the title 'grand dame of Japanology.”

As an educator, Saniel has fostered many Filipinos with a good understanding of Japan. One of them is Cecilia Tolentino, a former embassy official who served at the Embassy's Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), since its establishment in 1967. She worked to promote Japanese culture and establish the Japanese school in the Philippines during the time when there was severe sentiment against Japan. She was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in 2004 for her efforts.

Tolentino told the Daily Manila Shimbun: "I owe my Japanese connection to Dr. Saniel. She was my professor in three subjects related to Japan in 1964 and when I graduated, she hired me as her research assistant. Later she made a recommendation for me to study Japanology at Waseda University.” She added “when I received the Emperor Award in 2004, I acknowledged Dr Saniel in my acceptance speech...”

Saniel also contributed a lot to the development of UP Asian Center. One of the alumni of the PhD program in Philippine Studies at the UP Asian Center, Romeo Pena, Dean of College of Arts and Letters, Polytechnic University of the Philippines; explained her contribution is “immeasurable”

“I have He learned many valuable ideas from her writings as a scholar, especially those concerning Japan. Her contribution, especially as a former dean of the Asian Center, to Philippine Studies is immeasurable,” he replied to the Daily Manila Shimbun.

Saniel graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1949. She obtained a masters degree in history at the University of Chicago in 1953 through the Fulbright program and took her PhD in Far Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan in 1961.

Based on her doctoral dissertation, she published the book titled "Japan and the Philippines 1868 -1898" in 1963, which is cited worldwide. It is recognized as “the greatest achievement of her research,” which opened "a new field so far neglected by Western scholars,” according to UP Asian Center. The study details the activities of the shishi, Japanese military officers and civilians who were sent to the Philippines to support the Philippine Revolution in the late 19th century. DMS