Japanese families request return of soldiers’ remains from Alaska island
By The Associated Press
A peace memorial sits atop Engineer Hill at Attu Island, Alaska, on June 21, 2016. The memorial is in honor of all those who sacrificed their lives in the islands and seas of the North Pacific during World War II. (Army)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The grandson of a Japanese colonel who died in a World War II battle on a far western Alaska island is requesting that soldiers’ remains be returned to their homeland.
Nobuyuki Yamazaki made the request during a gathering at an Anchorage library Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Attu, KTVA-TV reported.
The U.S. Army and Japanese troops engaged in May 1943 on the remote Aleutian island of Attu, which is now a federal wildlife refuge. The nearly monthlong battle resulted in thousands of soldiers’ deaths.
A plaque memorializing both Japanese and American soldiers who died during the Battle of Attu during World War II looks out toward Engineer Hill at Attu Island, Alaska, on June 22, 2016. (Army)
Yamazaki read a statement in Japanese during the event that was translated for the audience. He said more than 2,300 Japanese soldiers’ remains are on the island.
“During the war, the U.S. Army buried the Japanese soldiers’ bodies with care, built a memorial, set up a grave post and paid respects to the spirits,” Yamazaki said.
The war-bereaved families want the remains to return home, he said. The families have petitioned the Japanese government and 3,948 signatures have been collected, he said.
“Japanese people find great comfort when the remains of the Japanese are buried in our homeland,” Yamazaki said.
Returning the remains would be major diplomatic and logistical undertaking, but it would not be impossible, said Steve Delehanty, the manager of the federal refuge.
The U.S. and Japan had looked into the possibility several years ago, but the dialogue had eventually stopped, Delehanty said.
Alaska is hosting a variety of activities this month to remember the battle.
Retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown was named accountable for the loss of the amphibious ship Bonhomme Richard but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing in December. Six months later, he's facing censure from the Navy secretary.
The Supreme Court allowed a former state trooper to sue Texas over his claim that he was forced out of his job when he returned from Army service in Iraq.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.
Congress appears poised to save five littoral combat ships from an early retirement, but the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is saying that the fight to ditch the ships is not yet over.
Extremist groups are shifting toward a more militia-style environment, targeting veterans for recruitment, valuing their skills and preying on their patriotism.
After neglecting strategic sealift for too long, some in Congress are trying a new approach to get the Navy and the Maritime Administration to invest in new US-made ships.