Repatriation of World War II Artifacts

World War II Artifacts

The Government of Japan, with the recognition that World War II Artifacts would be most appreciated by their original bearers or surviving kin, is promoting the return of those artifacts. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, in this connection, will attempt to locate the original bearer of a WWII artifact or the surviving kin provided the party requesting the investigation agrees to tender the item to the Embassy or Consulate General of Japan without demand for compensation, if and when the search is successfully completed. Putting up WWII artifacts with the names of the dead for auction would offend the feelings of the war-bereaved and your cooperation in not doing so is very appreciated. The procedure for the return of such artifacts is as follows:

1. Request

Email or mail the completed REQUEST FORM ( MS WORD , PDF ) to the Consulate-General of Japan in Boston along with photos or photocopies of the artifact. Any identifying markings should be enlarged and clearly legible. Complete details, including how and where the item was recovered, are crucial to the success of the investigation and should therefore be described in full on the REQUEST FORM. In the absence of inscriptions indicating the name and address of the original bearer of the artifact or aforementioned details, reaching a conclusive outcome will be highly unlikely. Please be advised that all photos and photocopies of the artifact(s) cannot be returned.

Mailing Address:
ATTENTION: WWII Artifacts
Consulate-General of Japan in Boston
100 High Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: 1-617-973-9772
Email: infocul@bz.mofa.go.jp

2. Investigation

The materials will be forwarded to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for investigation. Investigations typically take several months, but in some cases may take a year or more to complete.
 

3. Repatriation

You will be notified as soon as the investigation is conclusive. You will then be asked to send or bring the artifact(s) to the Consulate-General of Japan in Boston . The consulate will only receive the actual items at this stage of the process and only if the item has been traced back to its origin. Due to rigid legal codes, military swords must be sent directly from the individual requesting the investigation to the original bearer of the artifact or their surviving kin.
 

4. Jurisdiction

The Consulate-General of Japan in Boston can only accept requests from individuals residing within its jurisdiction, which includes MA, RI, CT, NH, VT, ME. Those residing in other areas are asked to contact their regional Consulate office (https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/consulate-guide.html).

5. For further inquiries regarding the return of articles lost during World War II

Please contact the Investigation group, Planning Division of Recovery of the Remains of War Dead, Social Welfare and War Victims’ Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW).
 
Telephone: +81-(0)3-5253-1111 (Ext. 4523)
E-mail: suishin@mhlw.go.jp
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000039987.html
*Guidance in English follows Japanese part.

MHLW’s project “The surveys for the return of the wartime articles to war-bereaved families”
This fiscal year (24/25), MHLW is working with Nippon Izokukai (Japan War-Bereaved Families Association), contractor of this project, and its subcontractor, Obon Society* to facilitate the return of wartime articles to war-bereaved families.
*Obon Society acts as an overseas support services subcontractor of this project for Nippon Izokukai.