The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Flag of fallen soldier returned to family after 80 yrs
KORIYAMA, Fukushima — A ag that belonged to a Japanese soldier who was killed on the Solomon Islands during World War II has been returned to his family 80 years a er his death.
Tamio Unayama died in November 1942 a er being hit by shell fragments on Guadalcanal Island when he was 23 years old, according to the Unayama family and an association that represents the interests of relatives of deceased war veterans.
Unayama was born in 1919 and le Ujina Port in Hiroshima Prefecture
to join the war e ort in January 1942.
In January 1943, Charles Marcotte, a U.S. serviceman who had served on Guadalcanal, was given the ag by a local resident.
Marcotte took the ag back to the United States and his son, Robert, who inherited the item, ended up donating it to an Oregon-based nonpro t organization called the Obon Society, which is involved in returning the belongings of dead Japanese soldiers.
e return of Unayama’s ag was realized through the e orts of the society, among other entities.
Yoko Unayama, the wife of
Unayama’s nephew, received the
ag at Koriyama City Hall in Fukushima Prefecture on July 22.
“I’ll let my late family members know that Tamio’s spirit has come back home together with the
ag. I think everyone is going to be happy to hear the news,” said Yoko, 80.
“e return of the ag was made possible thanks to the goodwill of people in Japan and the United States,” Koriyama Mayor Masato Shinagawa said. “With the ravages of war continuing throughout the world, I hope that peace and order will be maintained as soon as possible.” (Aug. 1)