27 October 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo instructed the  Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to continue monitoring the condition of Filipinos in Japan as he received the report from the Embassy that there were no Filipinos casualties in the strong earthquake that hit the Niigata Prefecture in the afternoon of Saturday, 23 October 2004.

The Embassy informed Secretary Romulo that based on its  coordination with local authorities, there were no reported deaths of or injuries to Filipinos as a result of the quake that occurred at around 5:56 in the afternoon, Japan Standard Time with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter Scale.

The Embassy also informed the Secretary that based on official reports from Japanese authorities, as of 25 October 2004, Monday, 23 Japanese and no foreigners have perished in the aftermath of the earthquake.  The Embassy was, however, not able to obtain a final count of the injured since some areas are still experiencing aftershocks up until 25 October and patients are still being brought to the hospital.  Several thousands have been evacuated and are already in temporary shelters.

Niigata Prefecture is located in Japan’s central island of Honshu, in the region facing the Sea of Japan to the West.  It is located northwest relative to the country’s capital, Tokyo.  The Embassy reported that as of  2003 the alien registration records of the local government office in Niigata show a total of 2,580 Filipino nationals residing in the prefecture scattered across its 20 cities and other smaller towns and villages.   The records also show that 60 Filipinos are residing in the city of Ojiya-shi, the epicenter of the earthquake.

Secretary Romulo instructed the Embassy to continue its coordination with local authorities and Filipino associations in Japan especially in the Niigata prefecture to ascertain the conditions of Filipinos in the affected areas and to extend to them every possible assistance. END