Dead Japanese soldiers back to Japan...

Were they burnt first and the ashes sent to Japan during wartime? I heard this while watching a document. Not totally impossible but anyone know if this is true? Thanx for any info!

 

I believe that you are correct; I've seen wartime Japanese newsreels showing the families accepting the remains of their loved ones in urns in a military ceremony.

The US Marines might have also provided the service as well to the dead Japanese. Here's an article form a Japanese source that is an interview with an Iwo Jima Japanese veteran. Pretty grim...

'Even the dead were being forced to fight' | The Japan Times Online

 

Cremation makes sense, it stops the spread of diseases.