Minister Fukuoka of Japan Offers Condolences and Flowers to WWII War Dead and Visits Remains Recovery Sites in Palau

On May 4 - 6, 2025, Minister Fukuoka Takamaro of MHLW visited the Republic of Palau, and offered condolences and flowers to WWII war dead at the West Pacific Ocean Monument erected by the Japanese Government on Peleliu island where was a fierce battlefield during the war.
 

Also on Peleliu island, he visited the mass burial site for Japanese war dead where was discovered in September 2024 (1086 individuals were buried there according to the US archival record), and other places to observe the current circumstance of the sites and progress of the recovery activities for Japanese war dead.
 

In addition, Minister Fukuoka met Minister Tmetuchl of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development. He expressed his gratitude to Minister Tmetuchl for cooperation by the Republic of Palau for recovery of the remains of Japanese war dead, and proper maintenance of the monument and other installations. While it has been 80 years passed since the end of WWII and Japan side has doubled the budget to focus on the recovery project in Palau for FY 2025 in order to accelerate the recovery project at the mass burial site on Peleliu island, Minister Fukuoka in this meeting requested Palau side for the necessary cooperation to further accelerate recovery of the remains in Palau after FY 2026 and onwards.
 

In response to this, Minister Tmetuchl expressed that Palau Government will offer maximum cooperation so that Japan side would be able to double the recovery activity period on the mass burial site on Peleliu island, and send the recovery team every month throughout the year from FY 2026 and onwards.

The presence of BCHP staff during the recovery activities is part of monitoring efforts.
 
Although it is required to confirm the burial contexts of the remains on the mass burial site, MHLW aims to mostly complete the recovery activities at the site by around FY 2027. In line with the agreement obtained in this ministerial meeting, we will closely collaborate with the Government of the Republic of Palau, and plan and implement the efforts to accelerate the recovery project of the mass burial site on Peleliu island.