Work begins to recover remains of Japanese WWII soldiers on Pacific island

Work has begun to recover the remains of Japanese soldiers at a mass burial site on Palau's Peleliu Island, a fierce battleground in the Pacific during World War Two. The remains of more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers are believed to be buried at the site. On Friday, 23 people, including officials from the Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties, began a full-scale search for remains at the mass burial site.

The association, which was commissioned by the Japanese government, plans to continue the work until May 24. Japan’s welfare minister visited the island earlier this month and announced plans to intensify recovery efforts.  The ministry hopes the recovery of the remains buried at the site will be mostly completed by around the end of fiscal 2027.