Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano is joined SPF Executive Director Itsu Adachi (third from left), Kakehasi Founder Ms. Bituin Shimada and officials of the Commission on Overseas Filipinos during the event.

17 March 2023, Tokyo. In her first address at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano congratulated SPF and the non-profit organization Kakehashi for their partnership which led to the publication of Bridging the Gap: A Young People’s Guide to Living in Japan.

“We know that many migrants, most especially those who are young, arrive at their country of destination with a strong desire to assimilate but little knowledge of how to so do,” Ambassador Garcia-Albano noted.

By providing advice and useful information on day-to-day living in Japan, Bridging the Gap empowers young Filipino migrants as it helps them assimilate into their adoptive home, said Ambassador Garcia-Albano.

Since the Philippines is a country of origin, Ambassador Garcia-Albano also stressed the need to focus on efforts aimed at the promotion of the well-being of Filipino migrants and their families. She said that migration, as a whole, contributes to a sustainable world, with particularly strong positive outcomes for well-adjusted migrants and the local population.

At close to 300,000, Filipinos constitute the fourth largest group of foreign nationals in Japan, accounting for almost 10% of the total number of foreign residents, coming after China, Republic of Korea and Vietnam.

Bridging the Gap clinched the Print Journalism Award – Best Book (Non-Fiction/Guide) at the Commission on Overseas Filipinos’ 2021 Migration Advocacy and Media Awards.

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