Waves unearth remains of 'WWII Japan soldiers' in Pacific
Updated: 2014-06-10 07:30
By Agence France-Presse in Tokyo (China Daily)
|
||||||||
The skeletal remains of what are believed to be Japanese soldiers have been exposed on a remote Pacific island where waves have eroded the sea shore, a Japanese government official said on Monday.
The bodies of around 20 men have emerged from the earth at a small coastal cemetery because of the action of the ocean on the Marshall Islands, a place scientists have long warned is vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.
"The government of the Marshall Islands has informed us that remains of about 20 human bodies have been exposed on the seashore of Enniburr island," said a Japanese official, referring to one of the small islands that forms part of the nation.
"The remains, believed to be those of Japanese soldiers, surfaced after waves eroded a cemetery built on the seashore, according to the Marshall Islands government," he said.
The Marshall Islands, like other Pacific island nations, are increasingly being threatened by rising sea levels, which have left previously safe parts of the shore at risk from erosion.
"If they are remains of Japanese soldiers, it would be a rare case of waves eroding the seashore to expose them," the official added.
Japan has for decades been trying to retrieve the remains of millions of Japanese nationals - including soldiers - scattered throughout the Asia-Pacific, swathes of which were controlled by the Japanese military until the later years of World War II.
Japan controlled the Marshall Islands from 1914 until the end of the war, when they were taken by the United States. The island country, made of more than two dozen atolls, became independent in 1986, but part of it - Kwajalein Atoll, where Enniburr island also sits - remains under the control of the US.
"Japan will probably send a team for the exposed human remains, but no concrete plan has been made yet since it is under the management of the US military," he said.
A cemetery on the shoreline in Majuro Atoll is flooded from high tides and ocean surges in 2008.The skeletal remains of what are believed to be Japanese soldiers have been exposed on the remote Pacific island of Enniburr, a Japanese official said on Monday. Giff Johnson / Agence France-Presse |
(China Daily 06/10/2014 page10)
- Asian Americans see moving up US corporate ladder as difficult
- Expat's experiment turns into anti-pollution business
- Youths begin Internships
- Qingdao native aims to make sailing history
- History-making game recalled
- Peking Opera charms New York City
- CUAA hosts basketball tournament in NYC
- Brazil ready to help China score
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Turning Africa's resources into rewards |
Long march to end employment bias |
Missing 'bracelet' sets safety alarm bells ringing |
Hidden dangers, ruined lives |
Meeting mummy in the valley of the giants |
The city that's not forbidden, just avoided |
Today's Top News
Virginia's governor deepens China ties
Experts take aim at 'biased' Pentagon report on China
Baidu gets ex-Google scientist Ng in race for AI research
Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez crowned as 63rd Miss USA
Chinese navy to join 2014 RIMPAC naval drill
5 dead in Las Vegas shooting
Bergdahl says he was tortured
China's exports rebound in May
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |