Taiwan Excavation Seeks Remains of Japanese Soldiers Lost in WWII Sinking

Experts have begun a week-long excavation in Hengchun Township, southern Taiwan, to search for the remains of Japanese soldiers and crew members who died during World War II. The effort is focused on a site believed to be where bodies washed ashore after a military transport vessel and other ships were attacked by U.S. forces in the Bashi Channel in 1944.

According to historian Kazuko Tachi, more than 4,700 soldiers and crew members perished in the incident, with only 65 survivors. The excavation is expected to continue for seven days, and any recovered remains identified as Japanese will be sent to Japan for further analysis through DNA testing, a process facilitated by a 2016 Japanese law aimed at accelerating the recovery of war remains.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 until the end of World War II. Official Japanese records indicate that approximately 41,900 soldiers died in Taiwan during the war, with about 26,300 bodies recovered and 15,600 still missing. The last excavation in Taiwan took place in 1975, resulting in the discovery of 242 bodies.

Volunteers and historians, along with local residents and Japanese expatriates living in Taiwan, have spent years gathering historical records and conducting interviews to pinpoint the potential burial site. They believe the remains may have been collected by locals and interred in a rocky coastal area near Taiwan's Third Nuclear Power Plant.

Globally, more than 2.4 million Japanese soldiers died overseas during World War II, and the remains of approximately 1 million have yet to be recovered. The recovery of war remains has been a continuous effort in postwar Japanese history, driven by the desire of bereaved families to achieve closure and provide a proper send-off for their loved ones, as noted by Akira Nishimura, a professor of religious studies at the University of Tokyo. Religious organizations and volunteers have played a significant role in these recovery efforts and in holding memorial services.

In Pingtung, the site of the current excavation, two memorials honor Japan's war dead. One monument stands beside Chaoyin Temple, dedicated to those who perished in the Bashi Channel, bearing an inscription that reads, "We pray for the peace of all humanity in the world." Inside the temple, a Japanese flag is displayed alongside a statue of the Buddhist Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.

Beatrice Trefalt, an associate professor of Japanese studies at Monash University, highlighted that many Japanese soldiers and sailors died at sea during the war, leaving their remains unrecovered. This uncertainty about the fate of soldiers has made the search for remains a persistent aspect of postwar Japanese history. Families often feel the government has a responsibility to acknowledge those conscripted and lost during the conflict.

Kazuko Tachi, who became involved in the recovery efforts after learning about the fate of the soldiers from local Taiwanese residents, emphasized the importance of memorializing the war dead. She stated her commitment to continuing prayers for them, even decades after the war's end.