José Sotero Hidalgo Laurel III, KGCR (August 27, 1914 – January 6, 2003) was a Filipino diplomat and the aide-de-camp of President

Jose P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (; March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was a Filipino people, Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the president of the Japanese-occupied Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state during World W ...

during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

period. He later became ambassador of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

to Japan.

Early life

He was born on August 27, 1914. He mastered the Japanese language and culture in the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

from 1934 to 1937. He served as a junior aide-de-camp to President

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his de ...

from 1937-1940. Beginning in March 1945, Laurel, together with his family,

Camilo Osías Camilo Olaviano Osías, Sr. (born Camilo Osías y Olaviano; March 23, 1889 – May 20, 1976) was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with a certain American named Mary A. Lane, Osías t ...

Benigno Aquino Sr. Benigno Simeon "Igno" Quiambao Aquino Sr. (born Benigno Simeón Aquino y Quiambao; September 3, 1894 – December 20, 1947) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state in the ...

, Gen. Tomas Capinpin, and

Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and ...

evacuated to

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

. Shortly after the city fell, they traveled to

Tuguegarao Tuguegarao ( or ), officially the City of Tuguegarao ( ibg, Siyudad nat Tugegaraw; itv, Siyudad yo Tugegaraw; ilo, Siudad ti Tuguegarao; fil, Lungsod ng Tuguegarao ), is a 3rd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component ci ...

, where they embarked a

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

plane to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

via

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

(now

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

) and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

.Molina, Antonio. ''The Philippines: Through the centuries''. Manila: University of Sto. Tomas Cooperative, 1961. Prin Alongside his father and Aquino, he was taken into U.S. custody on September 15, 1945, days after the Japanese forces formally surrendered to the United States. They were imprisoned in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

until they were transferred to

Sugamo Prison Sugamo Prison (''Sugamo Kōchi-sho'', Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: ) was a prison in Tokyo, Japan. It was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan. History Sugamo Prison was originally built in 1 ...

on November 16. On July 23, 1946, they left

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

for

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, having been turned over to the Republic of the Philippines.

Career

Laurel was admitted to the Philippine bar on June 10, 1950. From 1966 to 1971, Laurel served as ambassador of the Philippines to Japan. In 1976, Laurel initiated the Philippine Federation of Japan Alumni (PHILFEJA), a congregation of former students who graduated in Japanese colleges and universities including grantees of training programs. The association aims to strengthen Philippine-Japan relationship through educational and professional exchanges. He was also active in the Laurel Law Office up to his later years.

Death

Laurel died on January 6, 2003, at the age of 88 due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. His remains were cremated.

Personal life

He is the second of nine siblings. He is the son of José P. Laurel with his wife

Pacencia Laurel Pacencia Valencia Hidalgo Laurel (''née'' Hidalgo y Valencia; April 30, 1889 – January 1, 1963) was the wife of Philippine President Jose P. Laurel and the third First Lady of the Philippines and the only First Lady to serve under the Japan ...

and brother to Jose Jr., Salvador and Sotero Laurel II. He was married to Beatrice Castillo-Laurel with children, including José Laurel V (former

Governor of Batangas The governor of Batangas ( fil, Punong Lalawigan ng Batangas) is the local chief executive of the Philippine province of Batangas. The governor holds office at the Batangas Provincial Capitol in Batangas City and its residence is at the People's ...

and former ambassador of the Philippines to Japan) and Ma. Elena Laurel-Loinaz (former president of the Philippine-Japan Ladies Association). He also had 23 grandchildren.

Awards

: *

Supreme Commander and

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of the

Order of the Knights of Rizal The Knights of Rizal is an Order of Chivalry from the Philippines, created to honor and uphold the ideals of Philippine national hero José Rizal. The civic organisation of the "Order of the Knights of Rizal" was established in 1911 by Colonel A ...

. *

Grand Cross of the

Order of Sikatuna The Order of Sikatuna ( fil, Orden ng Sikatuna) is the national order of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines. It is conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philipp ...

, Rank of ‘Datu’ (1987).

References

*Ventura, Francesca Murphy. "Contemporary transitions: How developments in Philippines-Japan relations have shaped Japanese language education in the Philippines," paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Philippine Studies (ICOPHIL). Quezon City, Philippines. 23–26 July 2008.
Study Japan Website: List of AssociationsPHILJEFA Online:About Us

External links

PHILJEFA Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurel, Jose Iii 1914 births 2003 deaths Jose III People from Batangas Ambassadors of the Philippines to Japan Filipino collaborators with Imperial Japan Children of presidents of the Philippines Prisoners and detainees of the United States military