|
On December 14, Prime Minister Naoto Kan visited Iwojima, the site of fierce fighting between Japanese and US troops during the Pacific War. Kan visited mass graves for Japanese troops who had fallen in action during the battle, and assisted with the excavation of human remains. Around 28,000 troops are thought to have perished on both sides during the battle for Iwojima. After participating in the excavation of remains, Kan paid his respects at a war memorial to the fallen.
Kan was also accompanied by a non-partisan group of Diet members, including Yukihiko Akutsu, Makiko Kikuta, Mitsunori Okamoto and Daisuke Matsumoto, all parliamentary secretaries in the DPJ government.
The sites of the two mass graves visited by Kan had recently been discovered based on information in documents newly obtained from the US National Archives and Records Administration. The graves contain the remains of around 2000 soldiers and are located on the western side of the present SDF burial ground.
While paying his respects at the memorial, Kan made an address, saying, “Thirteen thousand soldiers still lie sleeping in the ground here, unable to return home. It is the responsibility of the government to return these remains to their homelands. I would like to further strengthen efforts to excavate the remains and to carefully search for burial sites. I vow to examine each and every grain of sand and make every effort to repatriate as many soldiers as possible.”
|
.jpg)
