The remains of Japanese soldiers who perished during World War II have been exhumed from the Mainamati War Cemetery in Cumilla, Bangladesh. The remains will now be transported to Japan, where they will undergo DNA testing to identify surviving family members. Following this, the remains will be ceremonially reburied with military honors.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Sajjad Ali Zahir, who led the exhumation process, revealed that skeletal remains, including skulls and other bone fragments, were found in 23 of the 24 graves examined. No remains were found in one grave.
“We relied on local professional grave diggers for assistance. Once the remains were unearthed, Japanese specialists and a Bangladeshi forensic team took over to ensure proper preservation and handling,” Zahir explained in a talk with journalists.
Efforts by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Mainamati War Cemetery is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains burial sites worldwide for soldiers who died during World Wars I and II.
Hillol Sattar, the commission’s country manager in Bangladesh, confirmed that the recovered remains will be returned to Japan. “The Japanese government will hand over the remains to their families after DNA testing. The remains will then be reburied with full military honors,” he said.
The Team Behind the Mission
A multidisciplinary team, including seven Japanese archaeologists, an American specialist, and a Bangladeshi forensic team, conducted the exhumation.
The History of Mainamati War Cemetery
Located near the Mainamati Cantonment, around nine kilometers from Cumilla city, the cemetery is one of two Commonwealth war cemeteries in Bangladesh—the other being in Chattogram. Established during World War II, it serves as a memorial for soldiers killed in the Burma Campaign.
According to official records, the cemetery houses 736 graves. Of these, 357 belong to British soldiers, 178 to soldiers from undivided India (encompassing present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), and 24 to Japanese soldiers. The cemetery also contains the graves of soldiers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), East Africa, West Africa, and countries like Belgium and Poland.
Japan’s Repatriation Efforts
Professor Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka University’s Japan Studies Department noted that while Japanese graves are relatively rare in Bangladesh, many similar cemeteries exist across ASEAN countries, particularly in Myanmar and the Philippines, where large numbers of Japanese soldiers were buried.
During World War II, fierce battles occurred in the Burma Campaign as Japanese forces advanced into the region. Soldiers injured in these battles were brought to Cumilla for treatment, and those who died were buried in the Mainamati cemetery.
Mamun explained that efforts to repatriate Japanese soldiers’ remains began in the 1950s, driven by public demand in Japan. Nearly 2.4 million Japanese soldiers were deployed during the war, half of whom never returned. Over the years, the movement gained momentum, particularly through advocacy by Japan’s Conservative Party.
In 2016, the Japanese Parliament enacted legislation to recover soldiers’ remains from overseas cemeteries by 2024. DNA testing and identification efforts have since been prioritized to reunite these remains with their families.
A Long-Awaited Mission
This recent exhumation marks the resumption of an initiative Japan first proposed in 2013. Japanese officials initially approached Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Kazi Sajjad Ali Zahir to begin the process. However, the project faced delays, including disruptions caused by the 2016 Holey Artisan terrorist attack in Dhaka.
After renewed efforts in 2022, the exhumation began in November 2024 and was completed by November 13. The remains are now being prepared for transport to Japan, bringing closure to the families of these soldiers after decades of uncertainty.