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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

period. He later became ambassador of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to Japan.

Early life

He was born on August 27, 1914. He mastered the Japanese language and culture in the Imperial Japanese Army Academy 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 people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

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 people, Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with American Mary A. Lane, Osías ...

, Benigno Aquino Sr., Gen. Tomas Capinpin, and Jorge B. Vargas evacuated to

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, 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 (; ; ; ), is a 2nd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 ...

, where they embarked a

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

plane to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

via Formosa (now

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

) and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

.Molina, Antonio. ''The Philippines: Through the centuries''. Manila: University of Santo 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 List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

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 23 special wards, ward of Tokyo, Japan. History Sugamo Prison was orig ...

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

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

for

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, 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 Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. 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 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 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 a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of the Knights of Rizal The Knights of Rizal (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Orden de Caballeros de Rizál''; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Mga Maginoo ni Rizal''; sometimes abbreviated as KOR) is an order of chivalry of the Philippines, created to honor and uphold the ...

. *

Grand Cross of the

Order of Sikatuna The Order of 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 Philippines, upon diplomats, ...

, 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 Deaths from pneumonia in the Philippines 20th-century Filipino lawyers