What Japan's 'little nurses' left behind in Palau's jungle 81 years ago (Pt. 2)

During the Pacific War, students from Palau Girls' High School tended to wounded soldiers at the Japanese military's 123rd logistics hospital, located deep in the jungle on Babeldaob Island in Palau. These students, Eiko Tamaki and Hiroko Maeda, were responsible for caring for seriously ill patients who could not walk and cleaning up their bodily waste.

When a patient died, they carried the body through the rocky terrain in pairs. Both students recounted the harsh conditions, with patients appearing emaciated and often requiring assistance to receive injections. As the war intensified, food supplies dwindled, leading to widespread malnutrition and beriberi, a disease caused by a deficiency in vitamin B1.

By the time the war ended in 1945, the students were gathered in the jungle when they were told to disarm and cry, expressing their relief at being liberated. The demobilization of soldiers and repatriation of civilians began shortly after Japan's surrender. The students kept in touch with their classmates, exchanging letters and preserving memories of their time in Palau.

In 2015, Maeda visited Palau for the first time in a decade to pay respects at gravesites, shedding tears as she recalled her past. Despite the thick jungle growth, she attempted to revisit the site of the former 123rd logistics hospital but was unable to locate it. Recent investigations by a group of individuals from Aomori Prefecture have uncovered what they believe to be the hospital's remains, and the Japanese welfare ministry plans to conduct further surveys on the island to uncover any remaining remains of Japanese soldiers and civilians.