The Forgotten War Dead in Taiwan: Japan Resumes Search After Half a Century

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Beneath the shimmering waves of the Bashi Channel, a narrow stretch of ocean between Taiwan and the Philippines, lies one of the most overlooked graveyards of World War II. This vital maritime route, linking the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, was once the site of fierce attacks.

In the final stages of the war, dozens of Japanese transport ships, traveling to and from Southeast Asia, were sunk by American submarines and carrier-based aircraft. Countless soldiers and crew members died in the waters. Over 100,000 lives were lost.

Many of their bodies were carried by the Kuroshio Current to the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan. Local residents cremated the remains and buried them on sites facing the sea. Even today, it is believed that the bones of several hundred individuals remain there. The only official recovery effort by the Japanese government took place in 1975 and brought back 242 sets of remains.

A Soldier's Personal Memorial

In a quiet corner of the peninsula stands Choonji Temple, a memorial built in 1981 by former Japanese soldier Shuji Nakajima, who used his own funds. Nakajima had been aboard a transport ship that was sunk during the war. He survived after drifting for 12 days at sea, during which he witnessed many of his comrades drown. One soldier died holding Nakajima's hand, calling out his wife's name with his last breath.

Nakajima's sorrow is captured in The Strait of Lamentation, a nonfiction book by writer Takamasa Kadota. The book features a poem written by Nakajima:

All my comrades lie sunk in the Bashi Sea.
Why am I the only one still adrift in this life?

For decades, the victims of the Bashi Channel received little attention. The lack of formal diplomatic ties between Japan and Taiwan made official recovery efforts politically difficult.

Kadota described the men lost there as "the forgotten war dead." Nakajima spent much of his later life calling for memorial services and the return of remains to Japan. He passed away in 2013. The first memorial ceremony at Choonji Temple was not held until two years after his death.

*The Choonji Temple in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan.*

Memorial Service in Taiwan

On August 3, a memorial service to honor Japanese soldiers who died around the Bashi Channel was held once again at Choonji Temple in Hengchun, Pingtung County, at Taiwan's southern tip. Around 150 relatives and others attended.

Marking 80 years since the end of the war, this year's ceremony included, for the first time, a condolence message delivered on behalf of the Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, who oversees memorial activities for war dead. Due to the lack of diplomatic relations, official Japanese memorial participation in Taiwan had long been absent. However, since 2015 — the 70th anniversary of the war's end — volunteers from Japan and Taiwan have organized annual services.

A Moment Long Awaited

At this year's ceremony, Kazuyuki Katayama, representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association's Taipei office (Japan's de facto embassy in Taiwan), read a message from Minister Takamaro Fukuoka. The letter expressed condolences and acknowledged that Japan's peace and prosperity today were built on the lives of those who had perished.

Takayuki Watanabe, chairman of the event's organizing committee, called the reading a "memorable moment," saying it finally gave voice to the long-standing hopes of bereaved families.

Among those in attendance was 80-year-old Hatsue Yoshioka from Isen Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. Her father was aboard the Tamatsumaru, a ship that was sunk in the Bashi Channel. "Father," she said in her eulogy, "I have come here to pray at this place where you risked your life for the country, the people, and the children — and where you fell."

A Renewed Effort

Now, in the 80th year since the end of the war, the Japanese government has launched a new initiative to recover remains from Taiwan. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare plans to dispatch staff from the Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties to Taiwan soon. It is the first such effort in 50 years.

As memories of the war fade, there is a risk of losing sight of its human cost. Many who died in service still lie in foreign seas and soil, far from their families. The return of their remains is long overdue, and efforts to bring them home should no longer be delayed.