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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PH commits to repatriate over 300,000 remains of WWII Japanese soldiers

PH commits to repatriate over 300,000 remains of WWII Japanese soldiers

Published Jun 25, 2023 06:20 am
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. has committed to repatriate over 300,000 Japanese soldiers who perished during World War II and whose remains are still in the country. Abalos issued the assurance after meeting the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan headed by Minister for Economic Affairs Nihei Daisuke of the Embassy of Japan on Thursday, June 22. In the meeting, Abalos said the DILG has been coordinating with the  Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in assisting the Japanese government and will be closely working with them to ensure that the recovery and repatriation of the Japanese war-dead remains will be carried out smoothly.’’ “Japan remains one of the closest partners and allies of the Philippine government and we are ready to assist them in the recovery of the remains of their fallen soldiers,” Abalos said. As the lead of the repatriation effort, Abalos said the DILG is in a strategic position to ensure that the repatriation process will be well-coordinated at the local government unit (LGU) level where some of the remains lie. He assured that the DILG is ready to activate its resources and manpower to assist the Japanese government in consonance with the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed between the Philippine and Japanese governments to facilitate the proper collection, handling, storage, and shipment of the remains of Japanese soldiers. In May 2018, the Philippines and Japan signed an MOC to facilitate the proper collection, handling, storage, and shipment of the remains of Japanese soldiers who died during World War II in the Philippines.
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