Kan visits Iwoto Island to inspect recovery of WWII remains

IWOTO ISLAND, Japan, Dec. 14 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday visited Iwoto Island, also known as
Iwojima, to inspect the government's ongoing efforts to recover the remains of
Japanese soldiers who died in World War II.
Kan, the second prime minister to visit the island, helped to recover some of
the remains and paid his respects to the war dead.
Kan told reporters on the island after his inspection that the remains of some
300 Japanese soldiers have so far been found since a special government team
was set up this summer.
After taking office in June, Kan set up the special team to try to recover the
remains of around 13,000 soldiers left on the volcanic island, where Japanese
and U.S. forces fought one of their fiercest battles for about one month toward
the end of the war.
''Under the current circumstances, more than 1,000 sets of remains are expected
to be recovered,'' Kan said. ''It is our country's responsibility. I will
continue to address the issue of recovery.''
In October, the team reported to Kan that the remains of around 51 Japanese
soldiers had been discovered after it excavated two sites based on information
obtained from the United States.
The two sites are believed to be mass graves, as more remains have been found
since the team resumed its survey earlier this month, according to government
officials.
Kan checked the team's work at the sites, one located near a runway at the
Japanese Self-Defense Forces' base in the central part of the island and the
other in the southern part at the foot of Mt. Suribachi, where the U.S. flag
was raised as a symbol of victory in 1945.
Kan, accompanied by ruling and opposition party lawmakers, also attended a
ceremony at the Tenzan Monument to commemorate the soldiers.
The site near the runway is estimated to contain around 2,000 bodies and the
site at the foot of the mountain about 200 bodies, according to the officials.
About 22,000 Japanese and 6,800 U.S. soldiers died on the island during the
battle. Since 1952, the government has recovered the remains of around 9,000
Japanese soldiers on the island, located about 1,250 kilometers south of
central Tokyo.
Since visiting the island for the first time in 2006, Kan has advocated doing
more to recover the remains, which constitute the largest number on Japanese
soil.
It is the first time since June 2005 that an incumbent Japanese prime minister
has visited the island. The last trip was made by Junichiro Koizumi.
The island, returned to Japan in 1968, was officially renamed from Iwojima in
2007.
==Kyodo