The remains were brought back to the country as part of a government project to recover remains of the fallen from Russia, the Bismarck Archipelago in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The latest addition raised the number of war dead honored at the cemetery to 367,328.

Prince Hitachi, the younger brother of Emperor Akihito, and his wife, Princess Hanako, attended the ceremony, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga representing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki and bereaved family members also took part and offered flowers.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, some 2.4 million members of the Imperial Japanese military died overseas during the war. Although the collection of remains started in 1952, an estimated 1.13 million have yet to be brought back. (Jiji Press)