ITOMAN, Japan (AP) — Takamatsu Gushiken, a dedicated volunteer known as a "gamafuya," enters a treacherous cave in the dense jungle of Okinawa, armed with only a headtorch. As he sifts through the gravel, he uncovers two pieces of bone, which he believes belong to an infant and possibly an adult. Gushiken reverently places the bones into a ceramic rice bowl, reflecting on the tragic fates of those who perished in this very cave approximately 80 years ago during one of the fiercest battles of World War II. His mission is clear: to reunite these forgotten remains with their families.
The remains of about 1,400 individuals found on Okinawa currently reside in storage, awaiting identification through DNA testing. Thus far, only six of these remains have been successfully identified and returned to their respective families. Many volunteer bone hunters and families searching for their loved ones have voiced their frustrations, asserting that the government should take more decisive action to assist in this solemn task.
Gushiken perceives the bones as silent witnesses to Okinawa’s wartime suffering, serving as a stark warning to contemporary generations. This warning is particularly relevant as Japan ramps up its military expenditures amidst escalating tensions with China over territorial grievances and Beijing’s claims regarding the self-governing island of Taiwan. Gushiken poignantly states, “The best way to honor the war dead is never to allow another war,” expressing his fears that Okinawa might once again become a battlefield.
The Battle of Okinawa commenced on April 1, 1945, with U.S. forces landing on the island as part of their campaign toward mainland Japan. This brutal conflict lasted until late June, resulting in approximately 12,000 American deaths and over 188,000 Japanese casualties, half of whom were Okinawan civilians. The aftermath saw many students and others tragically succumb to mass suicides, a grim command dictated by the Japanese military, according to historians.
Following the war, Okinawa was under U.S. occupation until 1972, lasting two decades longer than the rest of Japan. To this day, the island hosts a significant U.S. military presence, contrasting sharply with Japan’s postwar economic growth, as Okinawa continues to experience lagging economic, educational, and social development.
Gushiken recalls his childhood in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, where he discovered skulls adorned with military helmets while exploring the jungles. Almost 80 years after World War II ended, around 1.2 million Japanese war dead remain unaccounted for, approximately half of the 2.4 million who died during Japan’s conflicts in the early 20th century. Thousands of unidentified bones have languished in storage, awaiting identification testing designed to connect these remains with surviving family members.
Despite the Japanese government’s efforts to initiate DNA matching in 2003, progress has been disappointingly slow. Currently, only 6 remains identified through DNA tests were found on Okinawa. The identification process is hampered by limitations, which originally confined testing to remains that included teeth or man-made artifacts. In 2016, new legislation facilitated a broader remains recovery initiative, promoting enhanced DNA matching and cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense.
As of now, the health ministry reports that 1,280 remains of Japanese war dead, including the six from Okinawa, have been identified since testing began. Approximately 14,000 additional remains are stored in the ministry's mortuary, awaiting future testing. Meanwhile, hundreds of American soldiers' remains and those of Koreans conscripted by the Japanese during the conflict also remain missing.
Naoki Tezuka, an official from the health ministry, highlights the increasing challenges posed by aging families, fading memories, and the deterioration of the remains, emphasizing that “the progress has been slow everywhere.” The ultimate hope is to not only collect these remains but to return them to their families.
Japan is now accelerating its military expansion, positioning more troops and military resources in Okinawa and surrounding regions. Many residents, who harbor painful memories of the wartime atrocities, view the military buildup with trepidation. While American and Japanese officials perceive the U.S. presence as a crucial counterbalance against threats from China and North Korea, many Okinawans have long protested the associated noise, environmental pollution, accidents involving aircraft, and resultant crime.
Okinawa accommodates more than half of the 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan, with the majority residing on the small southern island. Although Tokyo has promised to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps air station from a densely populated area, Okinawans continue to express outrage over a plan that would merely transfer the facility to the island's east coast, potentially disrupting land that may contain remains of war victims.
Gushiken advocates for the protection of Itoman's caves from development so that future generations can access and learn from the history of the war, allowing efforts like his to reach a fulfilling conclusion. As he continues his work, he fears that the painful lessons learned from Okinawa’s past may fade into obscurity. Tomoyuki Kobashigawa, whose half-sister Michiko died shortly after marriage, also shares the urgency for DNA matching to locate her remains, lamenting the familial bond lost to time. In a poignant reflection, he states, “I’m afraid the Okinawan people will be embroiled in a war again.”
