Volunteer searches for WWII Dead in Japanese caves Hundreds of people’s remains

Takamatsu Opens a hood in Gushiken and enters a cave buried in Okinawa’s jungle. Two-piece bones manage their fingers softly from the gravel until the emergence. These are skulls, a baby and perhaps one adopt.

Carefully places them in a ceramic rice dish and it takes a moment to imagine people when World War II is hiding in this cave in Fivercest battles. The hope is that the dead can be reunited with their families.

The remains of 1,400 people found in Okinawa are kept for possible personality with the DNA test. So far, only six people have been identified and returned to their families. Voluntary bone hunters and families seeking their loved ones say that the government does not do more to help.

Gushiken says the bones are silent witnesses Okinawa’s War TragedyLike Japan, this generation is a warning, its territorial disputes and Beijing named the nearest unique island with the side of Taiwan, the side of tension increases.

“The best way of the war is dead, it is never possible to allow another war,” he says. “Now I’m worried about the situation of Okinawa. … There is a risk that Okinawa can be a battlefield again.”

Deadly battles of Haunted II by one of World War II

On April 1, 1945 US troops landed on Okinawa When Mainland is pushing to Japan to Japan, about 12,000 Americans and more than 188,000 Japanese, which lasted until the end of June, and half of them. Students and this included the victims of mass suicides commanded by Japanese servicemen.

They found the remains of battles, birds and other voluntary cave and “Gamahuya” or hundreds of people in native Okinawan.

Kefiker tries to dream of being in the cave during the battle. Where would he hide? What would you feel? The victims died about the age of weapons or explosions, and puts the details about the bones in a small red notebook.

After the war, Okinawa has been occupied 20 years since most Japan has been occupied 20 years before 1972 and hosted a major highway US military existence so far. As Japan enjoys post-war economic growth, Okinawa’s economic, education and social development was behind.

Kefiken, Okinawa’s capital, Naha’da will be a child who grew up, pulled out hunting mistakes and still found the helmet.

A slow search for balances

About 80 years after the end of World War II, 1.2 million Japanese wares were not yet calculated. This is half of the 2,400 Japanese, mainly half of the soldiers who died during the early 20th century wars.

Thousands of unknown bones have been sitting for years, which have been in the test that can help adapt to surviving families.

Kefiken, the government’s compliance efforts of DNA are very little and very slow.

188,440 Japanese killed in the fight of Okinawa, the majority of the remains were killed and placed in the National Cemetery of the Island and are also placed in the island. In recent decades are kept in about 1400 residents. The identity process was painful slowly.

This was only limited to the balances in 2003, the Japanese government, after surveys from the families of the dead, but were restricted to the remains of the tests, teeth and technological works that could instruct their identities.

In 2016, Japan gave the law to the law to remain the restoration initiative to promote more DNA compliance and cooperation with the US Department of Defense. Then a Lear, the government has expanded the authorized test in the bones of civilians and limbs.

According to the Ministry of Health, since 2003, the 60-year-old Japanese war has been determined by DNA tests since 2003, and since 2003. The remains of about 14,000 people are kept in finance for the future test in the ministry.

Hundreds of American soldiers remain uncountable. The remains can still be found in the Koreans mobilized by Japanese during the war.

For decades and documents are increasingly difficult, and documents are becoming more difficult and are lost and the documents remain lost and the Ministry of Health says Naoki Tekuka.

“Progress has been slow everywhere,” he said. “Ideal, we just hope to collect the remains, but to return to their families.”

The load of history

Japan, Okinawa and its external islands, and sending weapons more and accelerate the military structure. Many of the Japanese army, who have bitter memories of the Japanese army, pay attention to the current military structure.

Washington and Tokyo, a strong US military presence, as an important support for China and North Korea, but many Okinawan, American troops complained of noise, pollution, plane crashes and crimes.

Okinawa is at home with more than half of 50,000 American troops located in Japan today, with the majority of US military facilities on the small South island. Tokyo has promised to transfer a landlord in a city sitting in a city for years, but Okinawans can only be angry with the east coast and use the land that includes remains for construction.

Gushiken says that it should be protected from the development of Itoman caves, the younger generations can learn about the history of war, and therefore can complete the search.

Like him, some say Okinawans are afraid of the study of war.

Tomoyuki Kobashigawa’s half-sister Michiko was killed after marriage. He wants to apply for DNA compatibility to help you find it. “It’s so sad … If you would live, we could be such a good sister.”

Missing balances say that the government is “lack of regret from the responsibility of war” Kobashigawa says. “I’m afraid that the people of Okinawan will be in the war again.”