About Theresia Unno
Lived 1911 – 1989 (aged 78). Theresia Unno was a Japanese nun.
, also known as Tokoyo Unno, was a Japanese Roman Catholic nun based in the Philippines.
Missionary work Theresia Unno was noted for founding the Filipino-Japanese Foundation of Northern Luzon (Abong, or Baguio Nikkeijin Kai) in 1972. Its mission is to the Filipino-Japanese descendants, known as Nikkei-jin, who were fathered by Japanese soldiers and left stateless and ostracized after World War II. After she retired as a schoolteacher in Japan, Unno traveled to Manila in 1970 for the visit of Pope Paul VI. She stayed on after discovering the plight of the Nikkei-jin, focusing on the education of their children, who otherwise were not being taught at all.
There was strong anti-Japanese sentiment in the Philippines at the time, and sister Unno's organization gave the Nikkei-jin their first safe means to identify themselves, become educated, and work. She also led the OISCA (Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement) in its efforts to help Nikkei-jen farmers in Bahong and Alapang bring their Japanese vegetable produce to market by selling to the hospitality industry, and to Japanese expats living in Manila. Unno was able to get additional financial help for them directly from the Japanese government. Father Albert Haase also refers to her as a church founder. There was an effort to name the foundation that she established after her, but the superiors in Manila considered it inappropriate because she was still living, and that was not their custom.
Unno, whose death was noted in the Catholic Directory of the Philippines, was a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Her first name is sometimes misspelled Theresa.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Theresia Unno's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Theresia Unno?
Japanese nun
When was Theresia Unno born?
Theresia Unno was born on 12 September 1911.
When did Theresia Unno die?
Theresia Unno died on 31 December 1989.
What was Theresia Unno's occupation?
Theresia Unno was a nun.
What nationality was Theresia Unno?
Theresia Unno was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Theresia Unno. https://biography.guide/theresia-unno/
MLA: "Theresia Unno." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/theresia-unno/.
Chicago: "Theresia Unno." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/theresia-unno/.
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