Japan repatriates from Bangladesh the remains of 23 soldiers who fell during World War II

MADRID 25 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Japanese authorities announced this Monday that they will finally proceed to repatriate from Bangladesh the remains of 23 soldiers who fell during the Second World War after more than 80 years and whose remains have already been exhumed from the Maynamati cemetery, near Comilla, in the east of the country.

There are buried there about 700 soldiers of various nationalities who died during the fighting within the framework of the conflict. In the case of the 23 Japanese soldiers, most were buried after succumbing to injuries sustained despite receiving medical treatment at a field hospital in the area, according to information from the Kiodo news agency.

During World War II, Japanese troops fought against Allied forces in China and Burma all the way to the gates of present-day India and Bangladesh, then part of the British Empire. The Japanese War Victims Recovery and Repatriation Association, a government body, will be responsible for the exhumation and repatriation of the soldiers, the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, confirmed in a statement.

Thus, the bodies are already being prepared for transfer, as the exhumation teams have informed Japanese media. The objective of the Japanese Government is to return the mortal remains of the fallen to their families, especially in regions that suffered intense fighting.

For his part, Sajjad Alí Zahir, retired colonel of the Bangladesh Army, has indicated that he will be in charge of identifying the mortal remains although he has warned that they are in an “extremely fragile” state.