Yuka Saso shifts citizenship from Filipino to Japanese

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Philippines will be losing another sports gem.

Golfer Yuka Saso, who already represented the Philippines in several tournaments including the recently concluded 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is set to become a Japanese citizen.

Under Japanese law, dual citizens will have to select one nationality as they reach the age of 22. For the case of the 20-year-old Saso, she just confirmed in a press conference that in less than two years, she is bound to become a Japanese citizen.

“It is true that I chose the Japanese citizenship. I thought about it and I will eventually choose it,” Saso said in a recent press conference.

Saso began representing the Philippines last 2018 and immediately established her name in the sport after clinching gold medals in the women’s individual and team events in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

The Filipina-Japanese then continued to impress and won prestigious titles a year after when she won two LPGA Japan Tour championships.

Earlier this year, Saso rose to the world rankings after capturing the 2021 US Women’s Open and is currently the sixth-ranked golfer of the world in the women’s category.

“No matter which one I choose, I am both Japanese and Filipino,” Saso added.