Signing of the MOC on the Collection and Repatriation of the Remains of Japanese Soldiers in the Philippines

After years of suspension since October 2010 of a project to collect the remains of Japanese Soldiers in the Republic of the Philippines had, Mr. Kato, Minister of the MHLW and Mr. Cayetano, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Collection of the Remains

In accordance with this Memorandum of Cooperation, under the coordination of a comprehensive planning conference attended by representatives of the MHLW and other concerned agencies of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, the MHLW will recommence the activities of the collection of the remains.
 

1.	Signing Date: Tuesday, 8 May 2018
2.	Signed by
	Mr. Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan
	Mr. Alan Peter S. Cayetano, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines
3.	Background
○	In October 2010, in the publication regarding the activities of the collection of the remains in the Philippines, it was reported that some of the Philippino remains might be mixed among the collected remains. The activities were suspended.
○	Verification including factual investigation was conducted. According to the verification result in October 2011, no Philippino remains ware observed among the repatriated remains.
○	The activities ware reviewed to clear up any suspicion. Japan and the Philippines had consultation and signed the Memorandum of Cooperation to resume activities related to collection and repatriation of the remains.
4.	Outline
	The Memorandum describes that the activities will be conducted only with prior approval obtained from the Government of the Republic of the Phillipines and only when accompanied by the representatives of the National Museum of the Philippines. It also covers that the forensic examination of the remains will be conducted by a joint team comprising experts from the Republic of the Philippines and delegates from Japan. Please refer to the attached for more details.

Summary of the Memorandum of Cooperation