20,000 of our soldiers' skeletons in Papua: Japan

[Nike]

20,000 of our soldiers' skeletons in Papua: Japan
25th Jun 2019 23:14

Director General of Culture of the Education and Culture Ministry Hilmar Farid (right) and Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii spoke to the press at the Education and Culture Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday (June 25, 2019) ) (Zuhdiar Laeis)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Nearly 20 thousand skeletons of Japanese soldiers who died during World War II are still buried in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii has claimed.

The figure was based on data released by the Japanese government, but the exact number will certainly depend on the results of a further study in the field, he said, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indonesian government on extending the repatriation of skeletons Tuesday.

As a follow up to the MoU, the Japanese government will soon send a team to kick-start the process in cooperation with the Indonesian government and local administrations, he said.

He expressed the hope that the team would start working by next year.

Asked about the budget required to repatriate the remains of the soldiers, he said his government will assess the extent to which the activity needs to be carried out. However, the repatriation which is presently at a standstill will be resumed soon.

He said the Japanese government would like to bring back the skeletons which have been in the two provinces for more than 70 years.

Meanwhile, Director of Cultural Reserves and Museums of the Education and Culture Ministry Fitra Arda said he did not know have an exact estimation of the number of skeletons of Japanese soldiers in Papua and West Papua.

"We don't know their number and only after the excavations will we know that. But more importantly, the agreement must involve the local community," he said.

Editor: Bambang Purwanto

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2019
https://m.antaranews.com/en/news/127747/20000-of-our-soldiers-skeletons-in-papua-japan

 

[Nike]

Japan continues repatriation of soldiers' remains from Papua
25th Jun 2019 20:00

Director General of Culture of the Education and Culture Ministry Hilmar Farid (right) and Japan Ambassador Masafumi Ishii (center) made a statement after the signing of agreement on repatriation of the remains of Japanese soldiers in Jakarta on Tuesday (25/6/2019). (ANTARA/Zuhdiar Laeis)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Japanese government will continue to repatriate the remains of its soldiers who died in Papua in the fight against the United States during World War II. The Embassy of Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia's Education and Culture Ministry with regard to the repatriation, here Tuesday.

The process would include the search, collection and identification of the remains, and the cremation before it is transferred to Japan to the families.

The repatriation of remains was being conducted earlier but had been halted for four years, Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii said.

Now the process can be restarted and the remains can be transferred to Japan, he said.

The excavation of remains would be important for research on his country's culture, according to Ishii.

Despite the difficulties in identifying them, if possible, the soldiers' remains would be handed over to their families, he said.

The cooperation to repatriate the Japanese soldiers' remains is a continuation of the previous cooperation that has been revised, the Director General of Culture of the Education and Culture Ministry, Hilmar Farid said.

"This is the signing of cooperation between the Indonesian government, in this case, the Education and Culture Ministry, and the Embassy of Japan, on the excavation of the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in the World War II, especially in Papua," Farid said.

Other agreements related to the repatriation was one on the establishment of a World War II monument (April 7, 1993), and another on the access to collect and repatriate remains of Japanese soldiers who died in World War II in Papua (November 20, 2013).


Editor: Bambang Purwanto

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2019


https://m.antaranews.com/en/news/127736/japan-continues-repatriation-of-soldiers-remains-from-papua

Some of them maybe my grandfather friends, or families...

 

[waz]

I hope they repatriate all of them, the Japanese need closure. All the best.
I say that as a grandson of someone who fought the Japanese in Burma during the Second World War.

 

[Brainsucker]

Japan continues repatriation of soldiers' remains from Papua
25th Jun 2019 20:00

Director General of Culture of the Education and Culture Ministry Hilmar Farid (right) and Japan Ambassador Masafumi Ishii (center) made a statement after the signing of agreement on repatriation of the remains of Japanese soldiers in Jakarta on Tuesday (25/6/2019). (ANTARA/Zuhdiar Laeis)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Japanese government will continue to repatriate the remains of its soldiers who died in Papua in the fight against the United States during World War II. The Embassy of Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia's Education and Culture Ministry with regard to the repatriation, here Tuesday.

The process would include the search, collection and identification of the remains, and the cremation before it is transferred to Japan to the families.

The repatriation of remains was being conducted earlier but had been halted for four years, Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii said.

Now the process can be restarted and the remains can be transferred to Japan, he said.

The excavation of remains would be important for research on his country's culture, according to Ishii.

Despite the difficulties in identifying them, if possible, the soldiers' remains would be handed over to their families, he said.

The cooperation to repatriate the Japanese soldiers' remains is a continuation of the previous cooperation that has been revised, the Director General of Culture of the Education and Culture Ministry, Hilmar Farid said.

"This is the signing of cooperation between the Indonesian government, in this case, the Education and Culture Ministry, and the Embassy of Japan, on the excavation of the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in the World War II, especially in Papua," Farid said.

Other agreements related to the repatriation was one on the establishment of a World War II monument (April 7, 1993), and another on the access to collect and repatriate remains of Japanese soldiers who died in World War II in Papua (November 20, 2013).


Editor: Bambang Purwanto

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2019


https://m.antaranews.com/en/news/127736/japan-continues-repatriation-of-soldiers-remains-from-papua

Some of them maybe my grandfather friends, or families...

Well, sometime in war time, people got buried together in a single grave. Like a mass grave. So how can they make sure that they skeletons that they take was a Japanese, not a local, or Allied Soldiers?

 

[lcloo]

Well, sometime in war time, people got buried together in a single grave. Like a mass grave. So how can they make sure that they skeletons that they take was a Japanese, not a local, or Allied Soldiers?

Normally the ally forces fighting the Japanese would dig mass grave for their enemy, and moved their own deaths to separate graveyard. So it is easy to determine the nationality of those were buried in mass grave.

For those not bury but left to the nature, personal belongings found next to the remain will be used to for identification purpose.

A more accurate but expensive method is DNA verification, trying to match DNA of remain/ bones with those found on people from Japan. Local people's DNA are different from Japanese so it is possible to differentiate them.

However, Japan did employed many Taiwan native in Pacific war theatre, and Taiwanese native's DNA are very close to some Indonesians, this may cause problem in identification.

 

[Nike]

Normally the ally forces fighting the Japanese would dig mass grave for their enemy, and moved their own deaths to separate graveyard. So it is easy to determine the nationality of those were buried in mass grave.

For those not bury but left to the nature, personal belongings found next to the remain will be used to for identification purpose.

A more accurate but expensive method is DNA verification, trying to match DNA of remain/ bones with those found on people from Japan. Local people's DNA are different from Japanese so it is possible to differentiate them.

However, Japan did employed many Taiwan native in Pacific war theatre, and Taiwanese native's DNA are very close to some Indonesians, this may cause problem in identification.

They employ more Korean troughout the War compared to other Nationalities under her control

 

[seven7seven]

Closure is great and everything. Shame Japan can't give it to the countries they molested on their monstrous rampage through Asia.

 

[lcloo]

They employ more Korean troughout the War compared to other Nationalities under her control

Very true. I forgot about the Koreans.

Closure is great and everything. Shame Japan can't give it to the countries they molested on their monstrous rampage through Asia.

Germany did well in closure, and they gained respect. Hope Japan can do the same.

 

[Nike]

Closure is great and everything. Shame Japan can't give it to the countries they molested on their monstrous rampage through Asia.

Japan is quite at deadlock, they put everything aside under consideration except the Emperror roles during the war as their country core identity. Even Douglas Mc Arthur is at trouble for this very issue

 

[rambro]

Closure is great and everything. Shame Japan can't give it to the countries they molested on their monstrous rampage through Asia.

Till today they refused to acknowledge that unlike germany

Even their school text books whitewashes their war crimes, telling how they came to liberate us.

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