MABALACAT, Pampanga – The Japanese embassy has debunked reports that skeletons of Filipinos dug up from local graves are being passed off as remains of Japanese soldiers who died in the Philippines during World War II.
In a letter to Punto, Motohiko Kato, minister and deputy chief of mission of the Japanese embassy, also said that the Japanese government is not paying for the remains of the Japanese soldiers, contrary to reports that a Tokyo based syndicate has been paying P1,000 per set of skeletons from Filipino graves.
“For the collected remains of Japanese soldiers in the Philippines, we respect the legal procedure in the Philippines,” Kato said, noting that officials from the National Museum have been actively participating in locating and identifying remains of Japanese soldiers.
Kato was reacting to an allegation of Japanese businessman Koji Nakamura who informed Mabalacat, Pampanga tourism officer Guy Hilbero that a group he identified as Ken Tai has allegedly been purchasing skeletons, including those belonging to deceased Filipinos, for P‘1,000 per set.
Hilbero is known for promoting Philippine-Japan friendship and was one of the founders of the Kamikaze shrine in his town where the Kamikaze suicide squad of the Japanese imperial forces was founded during the last war.
Nakamura expressed doubt on the authenticity of some 7,000 skeletons already reportedly forwarded by the group to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
But Kato said that “in our understanding, Kuentai, whose activities are under the guidance of the Japanese government, has never bought the collected bones.”
“The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has requested Kuentai, a non profit organization to assist the government of Japan for the retrieval of bones in the Philippines in the Japanese fiscal year 2009 and 2010, from April 2009 to March 2010,” Kato said.
Kato stressed that “the Japanese government has undertaken the verification of bones in the most careful manner in close cooperation with the Philippine government.”
“Please note that the procedures have been developed as a result of various collected remains from collectors or informants (are) duly notarized. Comments or advices are requested as necessary from local residents living in the area for a long time,” he said.
Kato said that after such procedures, “authorized representatives from the national museum which is under the Office of the President of the Philippines, and members or representatives of the Japanese government missions review and examine the remains.”
“Thereafter the national museum representative issues a certification recognizing the collected remains as Japanese soldiers’ remains. Finally we send the said remains back to Japan with the certification,” he added.
He stressed that “the Japanese government has never bought the collected remains from anyone.”
“It should be recognized by the Filipino public that the Japanese government received the cooperation of the National Museum in searching for the remains of Japanese soldiers in the country,” he added.
At this time of the year, the Japanese people are preparing for their annual ancestral ceremony called Bon held either in July or August which, along with the New Year’s celebration, is considered to be one of the two most important observances in Japan. During Bon ceremony, family members return to their parental homes to honor all spirits of the dead who are believed to return to their homes at that time.
Japanese people are known to remember and venerate their ancestors through purification rituals that take place from the seventh to the hundredth year anniversary of their death.
In a letter to Punto, Motohiko Kato, minister and deputy chief of mission of the Japanese embassy, also said that the Japanese government is not paying for the remains of the Japanese soldiers, contrary to reports that a Tokyo based syndicate has been paying P1,000 per set of skeletons from Filipino graves.
“For the collected remains of Japanese soldiers in the Philippines, we respect the legal procedure in the Philippines,” Kato said, noting that officials from the National Museum have been actively participating in locating and identifying remains of Japanese soldiers.
Kato was reacting to an allegation of Japanese businessman Koji Nakamura who informed Mabalacat, Pampanga tourism officer Guy Hilbero that a group he identified as Ken Tai has allegedly been purchasing skeletons, including those belonging to deceased Filipinos, for P‘1,000 per set.
Hilbero is known for promoting Philippine-Japan friendship and was one of the founders of the Kamikaze shrine in his town where the Kamikaze suicide squad of the Japanese imperial forces was founded during the last war.
Nakamura expressed doubt on the authenticity of some 7,000 skeletons already reportedly forwarded by the group to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
But Kato said that “in our understanding, Kuentai, whose activities are under the guidance of the Japanese government, has never bought the collected bones.”
“The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has requested Kuentai, a non profit organization to assist the government of Japan for the retrieval of bones in the Philippines in the Japanese fiscal year 2009 and 2010, from April 2009 to March 2010,” Kato said.
Kato stressed that “the Japanese government has undertaken the verification of bones in the most careful manner in close cooperation with the Philippine government.”
“Please note that the procedures have been developed as a result of various collected remains from collectors or informants (are) duly notarized. Comments or advices are requested as necessary from local residents living in the area for a long time,” he said.
Kato said that after such procedures, “authorized representatives from the national museum which is under the Office of the President of the Philippines, and members or representatives of the Japanese government missions review and examine the remains.”
“Thereafter the national museum representative issues a certification recognizing the collected remains as Japanese soldiers’ remains. Finally we send the said remains back to Japan with the certification,” he added.
He stressed that “the Japanese government has never bought the collected remains from anyone.”
“It should be recognized by the Filipino public that the Japanese government received the cooperation of the National Museum in searching for the remains of Japanese soldiers in the country,” he added.
At this time of the year, the Japanese people are preparing for their annual ancestral ceremony called Bon held either in July or August which, along with the New Year’s celebration, is considered to be one of the two most important observances in Japan. During Bon ceremony, family members return to their parental homes to honor all spirits of the dead who are believed to return to their homes at that time.
Japanese people are known to remember and venerate their ancestors through purification rituals that take place from the seventh to the hundredth year anniversary of their death.
