The location of wartime Japanese Prime Minister and war criminal Hideki Tojo’s remains has been revealed by a university professor via research into declassified U.S. military documents.
Nihon University Professor Hiroaki Takazawa publicly released now-declassified U.S. documents on Monday first pulled from the National Archives in 2018 following a three-year research project to verify the details of the documents, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
The documents suggest that a U.S. army aircraft carried the cremated ashes of Tojo, who was one of the masterminds behind the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, and scattered them 30 miles off the eastern coast of Japan, the AP reported.
Until recently, the location of executed wartime Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo’s remains was one of World War II’s biggest mysteries. Now, a Japanese professor has revealed declassified U.S. military documents that appear to hold the answer. https://t.co/7dPParhn5A
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 14, 2021
The documents detail how the operation into handling the remains of Tojo would be conducted, along with the remains of six others, the AP reported. After Tojo and the six other remains were fingerprinted and then went through a final check, the caskets arrived at a crematorium and were placed “directly ‘in the ovens’ in 10 minutes” as soldiers guarded the area.
The military then loaded the ashes on the plane, before flying 30 miles over the Pacific Ocean, where they were scattered, the AP reported. (RELATED: American Father, Son Plead Guilty To Helping Nissan CEO Escape Japan In A Box)
Remains of Japan’s World War II PM Hideki Tojo were scattered over the Pacific Ocean after his execution, US documents reveal https://t.co/esSI1WTiVc
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 14, 2021
Takazawa also told the AP that the documents suggested military personnel were adamant about not leaving “a single speck of ashes behind” for admirers to try and collect and declare Tojo as a martyr.
“In addition to their attempt to prevent the remains from being glorified, I think the U.S. military was adamant about not letting the remains return to Japanese territory … as an ultimate humiliation.” Takazawa said.
Hidetoshi Tojo, the great-grandson of the former leader, told the AP that his great-grandfather was “somewhat fortunate” if his remains were scattered over territorial waters.
Tojo also told the AP that, if further information about the location of the remains become available, “I want to invite my friends and lay flowers to pay tribute to him.”