The process of exhuming and repatriating the remains of 18 Japanese World War II soldiers from the Chattogram War Cemetery has been successfully completed.
A 10-member expert delegation, nominated by the Japanese government, stayed in Chattogram from November 17 to 28 to carry out the exhumation work. Under the directive of the interim government, Chattogram Area of Bangladesh Army provided necessary security and administrative support throughout the process.
The overall supervision and technical leadership of the excavation were conducted by freedom fighter and excavation specialist Lieutenant Colonel Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir (Retd), Bir Protik, says an ISPR media release on Monday evening.
Upon completion of the exhumation, a contingent of Bangladesh Army accorded a Guard of Honour with full military honour on 28 November . Subsequently, the remains were formally repatriated to Japan.
It is noteworthy that in 2024, at the request of the Japanese government, the remains of 23 deceased Japanese soldiers during WW II were similarly exhumed and repatriated from Mainamati War Cemetery in Cumilla.