DHAKA, Bangladesh
Bangladesh has repatriated the remains of 18 Japanese soldiers buried during World War II in the Chattogram War Cemetery after more than 80 years.
A 10-member expert delegation nominated by the Japanese government carried out the exhumation work while the Bangladesh Army provided necessary security and administrative support throughout the process, said a media statement from the Bangladesh army Monday.
During World War II, the British military established Chattogram War Cemetery to bury and honor soldiers who were killed in action. Of the 731 soldiers buried, 19 were Japanese, according to the official description of the cemetery.
Upon completion of the exhumation, a contingent of the Bangladesh Army accorded a Guard of Honor with full military honor on Nov. 28 and subsequently, the remains were formally repatriated to Japan.
In 2024, at the request of the Japanese government, the remains of 23 deceased Japanese soldiers were similarly exhumed and repatriated from the Mainamati War Cemetery in Cumilla.
Japan has launched the first-ever project to take the remains of soldiers back home, some eight decades after the war. The soldiers had been taken there as prisoners by British forces during World War II.
The cemeteries are also known as historical tourist attractions in the country.