A group of Filipino pool players have been invited to play in the 2024 Japan Open, one of the major billiards tournaments in the Asian circuit.

Some of the players, however, are having difficulty securing a Japanese visa, said Japanese Hideki Saito, a professional billiards promoter who is helping Filipinos play in international pool tournaments.

Saito said the Japanese embassy here requires the players to present an invitation or endorsement from tournament organizers notarized in Japan.

"The Japan Professional Pocket Billiards Association (JPBA) in Japan does not prepare documents that meet the requirements of Japan. Why? There is nothing I can do here as a foreigner because all the problems are within Japan," said Saito through to his interpreter Roel Esquillo, a Filipino international billiard champion.

"The Japanese embassy here said that the invitation letter did not meet the requirements for a public document, so we were turned away, saying that we should go to a notary public in Japan and submit it after completing the necessary procedures."

The Filipino pool players who are scheduled to participate at Japan Open on September 14-16 in Tokyo are Antonio Lining, Rodrigo Geronimo, Patrick Gonzales, Jayson Marabi, Romsel Aloro, John Paul Ortega, Rommel Santos and female pool players Denden Santos and Sofia Santos.

Saito said the Filipinos, as professional pool players, needed to get entertainer visas to play in Japan.

"A two-week, short-term entertainment visa is fine for us. We come to Japan a few days before the Japan Open to get in shape, practice, and become champions," Saito said.

Saito also said that they can try to get tourist visas for the players but claimed it is not the appropriate thing to do because this encourages people to enter the country for other purposes.

"The organizer of the Japan Open, Japanese Masaki Okada, needed to help us but he has not taken action on this matter," said Esquillo, who is scheduled to visit the Games and Amusements Board office in Makati on Monday along with Saito.

Last year, Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines bowed to eventual champion Tomoya Lima of Japan in the Japan Open Finals.

The Filipinos aim to get even with their Japanese counterparts this time.

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