Hiroshima A-bomb victim's remains returned to sister 81 yrs after mistaken name entry

HIROSHIMA -- The Hiroshima Municipal Government returned the remains of a victim of the 1945 atomic bombing to his younger sister on November 4 after an error in the city's records left them unclaimed. Toshiaki Wakamoto, who died at the age of 13, was interred at the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound in Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, where his remains had been misplaced.

Shigeko Miyoshi, a 91-year-old resident of Hiroshima, was informed that the remains belonged to her brother. The city discovered the mistake earlier this year during its first comprehensive inspection in about 40 years of the urns interred at the memorial mound. The city had listed Wakamoto's surname as Ishimoto, but a crease in an envelope concealed the kanji character for "waka."

Miyoshi learned of the mix-up after the city announced the corrected name publicly, with her saying, "They could belong to my older brother." The city identified the remains as Wakamoto's based on family records and other documentation. According to Miyoshi, Wakamoto left his dormitory on August 6, 1945, but was later missing. Reflecting on her mother's search for her son, Miyoshi expressed regret for not being able to comfort her during that time, but she feels grateful for the return of her brother's remains.

She plans to inter his remains alongside their mother's in the same grave. The city found mistaken entries for 37 people, including their names and addresses, during the inspection and has corrected them. Currently, there are 812 sets of unclaimed remains, and the city is seeking information to identify and return them.