AUTHENTICATION OF DOCUMENTS

Please follow the procedures below. Have the document/s:

1. Notarized by a Japanese Notary public (Koshonin yakuba);

2. Authenticated by the Legal Affairs Bureau (Homukyoku);

3. Authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (Gaimusho)

           address : GAIMUSHO Certification Section

                         Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Chuo-ku, Otemae 4-1-76

                         Osaka Prefectural Bldg. No. 4, 4F (tel. no. 06-6941-4700)

4. Bring or send the original authenticated document/s with one (1) photocopy each to the Philippine Consulate

5. Y3250 processing fee for authentication through genkin kakitiome, if application is to be sent by mail

6. Return Mail (Letter Pack 510 - available at the Post Office)

             address : Philippine Consulate General Osaka-Kobe

                           Attention : NOTARIALS SECTION

                           Twin 21 MID Tower 24 floor

                           2-1-61 Shiromi Chuo-ku

                           Osaka City, Japan 540-6124

The Consulate General of the Philippines

Osaka-Kobe: A Brief History

The Consulate General of the Philippines, Osaka-Kobe traces its beginning to the opening of the Consulate in Kobe on 28 August 1956 with the late Amb. Pelagio Llamas as its first Head of Post.

Located at Taiwa Building, 4F, 18-1 Akashimachi Chuo-ku, Kobe City in Hyogo, the Consulate was subsequently elevated to the status of a Consulate General in January 1960, with the late Amb. Delfin R. Garcia as its first Consul General.

For almost four decades, the Consulate General was in Kobe City until its transfer to Osaka.

Consul General Victor G. Garcia III was the Head of Post when the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake struck in 17 January 1995. The Kobe property was among those destroyed. A temporary office was held at 2F mansion Nobu, Kitano-cho Chuo-ku, Kobe City the following day.

With most of Kobe City still recovering from the destruction, it was decided to move the temporary office to Osaka City in February of 1995. Function Rooms at Rihga Royal Hotel, Osaka (2F 5-3-68 Nakanoshima Kita-ku Osaka City). Three months after, in May 1995, Marubeni Corporation offered the first three floors of its Advan City Uchiawaji Building, 2-3-7 Uchiwaji-Machi Chuo-ku, Osaka as the new location of the Consulate General.

In 26 November 2001, Consul General Antonio P. Villamayor led the transfer of the Consulate General to its current location at the MID Tower.

The Post is now officially named Philippine Consulate General Osaka-Kobe.

This year marks the 59^th year of the mission’s presence in Western Japan. Since 1956, 15 Consuls General have held the leadership of the Post with the current Consul General being the 16^th Head of Post.

Consuls General

1956-1959            Pelagio Llamas

1960-1964            Delfin R. Garcia

1964-1971            Monico R. Vicente

1971-1977            victorino P. Paredes

1977-1982            Belen S. Bautista

1982-1983            Tomas R. Padilla

1983-1984            Orestes D. Bello

1984-1986            Tomas R. Padilla

1986-1989            Rosario G, Janolo

1989-1993            Jesus Alvaro

1993-1996            Victor G. Garcia III

1996-1999            Susan O. Castrence

1991-2001            Pedro B. Firmalino

2001-2005            Antonio P. Villamayor

2005-2012            Maria Lourdes V. Ramiro

2012-                     Maria Teresa L. Taguiang

From the few hundreds or thousands in 1950s, the number of Filipinos under Post’s jurisdiction has increased tremendously. At the end of the last millennium, in 1998, 29, 509 Filipino nationals resided in 28 Prefectures of Western Japan. Ten years after, this number grew to almost threefold with 74,785. Combined with the figure under Tokyo’s jurisdiction, the Filipinos were fourth largest foreign community in Japan. As of December 2014, 87,449 Filipinos consider Western Japan as their home with 43,425 or almost 50% as permanent migrants.