I have written many times about efforts to find and exhume bodies of American soldiers killed in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. In most cases, the purpose is to return the bodies for burial in America and to provide closure to families who previously did not know where their loved ones were buried. The need for closure works both ways: both for Americans and for former enemies.
Thousands of Japanese soldiers who died in the Battle of Iwo Jima were buried by U.S. forces in mass graves on the island. The Japanese government now plans to set up a task force led by Yukihiko Akutsu, an adviser to the prime minister, under special assignment from Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The team is expected to start excavation work by the end of this fiscal year.
Thousands of Japanese soldiers who died in the Battle of Iwo Jima were buried by U.S. forces in mass graves on the island. The Japanese government now plans to set up a task force led by Yukihiko Akutsu, an adviser to the prime minister, under special assignment from Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The team is expected to start excavation work by the end of this fiscal year.
Akutsu said Friday the Japanese government obtained the information from the U.S. National Archives. The remains of as many as 2,000 soldiers may be in the grave, according to Akutsu.
You can read more in the Daily Yomiuri Online at http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100731002452.htm
