Japan eyes fast-track for repatriation of war dead

Japan's government plans to update a procedure for repatriating the remains of people who died overseas in World War Two. The aim is to bring them back faster when possible.

Welfare ministry officials presented the changes on Tuesday at a meeting of an expert panel. They propose bringing remains back to Japan before DNA analysis, if extremely likely to be Japanese.

Currently, a sample is sent to Japan for testing first. The rest is cremated then repatriated if likely to be Japanese.

Possible candidates for the fast track include remains from locations such as mass burial sites for Japanese soldiers.

The procedure was last reviewed in 2020 after the ministry failed for years to address suspicions that some remains collected from burial sites may not be Japanese.

The ministry says the current procedure will apply in places where remains have mistakenly been treated as Japanese. Locations include the Philippines, Myanmar, and areas of the former Soviet Union.

The ministry says the remains of about 1,600 people are currently overseas and subject to DNA analysis.