◆2015 Autumn Imperial Decorations: Obak'ldelolk Isao Peter Singeo
2015 Autumn Imperial Decorations
Chief Obak’ldelolk Isao Peter Singeo awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
4 November 2015
Embassy of Japan in Palau
On 3 November 2015, the Japanese government announced 89 foreign recipients of the 2015 Autumn Imperial Decorations. From the Republic of Palau, Chief Obak’ldelolk Isao Peter Singeo has been awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays. This award has been made for his distinguished services to the strengthening of cooperative relations between Japan and Palau in recovery and commemoration efforts for those who lost their lives during World War II.
1. Award
Decoration: The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Services: Contributed to strengthening cooperative relations between Japan and Palau in recovery and commemoration efforts for the war dead in the Second World War
Name: Isao Peter Singeo (Male, Age 77)
Major Titles:
- Traditional Chief (Chief Obak’ldelolk)
- Non-Elected Permanent Member of the Peleliu State Legislature
Address and Nationality : Ngerdelolk Hamlet, Peleliu State, Republic of Palau (Palau)
2. Services
- (1) Recovery activities for the missing Japanese from World War II
Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has served the role of the highest traditional leader of the Peleliu State since 1975 and has been a member of the Peleliu State Legislature since 1983. Having been born to the Palauan parents of second-generation Japanese descendants, he is a member of the Palau Sakura Kai, an association for the Japanese-Palauan, which has been committed to the preservation of Japanese memorial sites in Palau.
The island of Peleliu, where Japan and the United States fought fierce battles during World War II, is one of the important places where the Japanese government operates personnel accounting activities. Working with his family, Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has long supported Japan’s search for the Japanese World War II missing. He was critical to the initial phase of Japan’s personnel accounting efforts in Peleliu when the island’s infrastructure had yet to be developed. His support for Japanese recovery missions to Peleliu included receiving the teams, providing them with airport transportation and accommodation and accompanying them to recovery sites. With the respect he has been held in local communities, he has been instrumental in seeking understanding from local personages and information for the Japanese government.
Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has made a great contribution to Japan’s recovery efforts for the missing Japanese. To date, he has partnered with 17 Japanese recovery missions to Peleliu and helped them recover 2825 sets of Japanese remains during these years of operation. He also offered support to the Mito Second Infantry Regiment’s Comrade Association, which conducted 10 field investigations over the period of 2000 to 2002.
(2) Memorial site visits and the maintenance of memorials
Apart from his contribution to Japan’s personnel accounting activities, Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has supported those who wish to visit Peleliu to remember their families and comrades, and dedicated himself to the maintenance of Japanese memorials built across the island. In the early days when Peleliu was the place of limited infrastructure, he was instrumental in making memorial sites accessible to Japanese visitors by coordinating accommodation and transportation for them. Many have benefited from his tireless efforts, including the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association, the Mito Second Infantry Regiment’s Comrade Association and other local organisations. Most recently, his support constituted an integrated part of the success of the imperial visit by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in April 2015 by offering transfer services to those who paid a memorial site visit to Peleliu on this occasion.
Following in his parents’ footsteps, Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has succeeded the undertaking to maintain the memorials in Peleliu which have had regular visitors from Japan. His support ranges from assisting the transport of supplies and equipment for the construction of new memorials, to working with local people to keep private memorials clean for those who cannot afford frequent travels from Japan.
Chief Obak’ldelolk Singeo has been recognised for his significant role he has played in strengthening cooperative relations between Japan and Palau to account for and remember those who lost their lives in war.
©Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Palau
P.O. Box 6050 Koror, Republic of Palau 96940