Burying Japanese Soldiers

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1130, 27 October 1904, Page 3

Burying Japanese Soldiers

if Most minute regulations bave been set ou * by the Japanese with regard to burying their own and the enemy's dead. Explicit details are given as to the identification of the dead, whether Russian or Jop, and as to forwarding news to their relatives. "Tho I corpses of thoso belonging to tho Imperial I army shall be cremated, while those of the enemy shall bo interrod, except when contagious and infectious diseases tiro preva--1 mt, when all corpses, oven those belong* ing to the enemy, shall be cremated.. No burial shall be mado until death has been definitely assured, As regards the selection of ground for interment, the following provisions shorld be noted: The ground must be some distance from any road, town or garrison, and distance from sources of springs, streams, wollb or other sources of drinking water, The ground must be on high Utid or gonllo slopes, and tho soil must bo loose and more or loss dry, The corpses of those belonging to tho Imperial army should bo cremated and separated and ono of tbo bones (tho larynx) sent home. When oircumstinees prevont this being done, only the hair shall bo sent home, and the bones shall bo buried temporarily on tho field, When oiroumstancos prevent separate cremation, the N.C.O's and privates shall to cremated to< gother and the hair only sent homo. Bones of officors, warrant officers, and senior non-commissionod officers should b given a separate burial, Tho bones of othor ranks should also bo buriod separately, but when circumstances do not permit they may be buriod together. In any case the bonos of senior N.C.O.s and warrant officers must bo given separate burial. "In i vorv caso of burial tho proper funeral tin--; *- i..i 1) '. obsorvod, and shall bo conducts! i/, ilia Shinto, or Buddist priests, chaplains, or priests of any religion 1 Tho personal effects of tho dead of tho Imperial army shall be paolted with tho bone and hair, adirossed with full name, rank, and rcgimont of tho deceased, and tbo r package forwarded to the divisional bead* [ . quartor whero tho decoasod was niobiK L ised, or to tho office where the orgaiisaK tioa of his corps took place, Thenamo, m age, nationality, rank, and rogiment of B the dead of the enomy shall, if K known, be entered on a list, and m the list shall bo sent by tho diviW sional headquarters or by tho office' [ left in command to tho Prisoner's lnforma- [ tion Bureau an Tokyo. Personal effects, " with the exception of arms, horses, and - maps, shall be packed, and tbo package ' addressed with tho full name and rank of deceased, and forwarded to above-named office," In the caso of intormont of corpses bolonglng to tho enemy, the corpses of officers and senior N.0.0.s should bo buried separately. The corpses of other ranks should also be buried separately or in numbers of less than fifty together.