I had a chance to visit the Yutenji Temple located in Meguro Ward, Tokyo. This temple is famous for the name of ‘Yutenji’ Station on Toyoko line. During my visit, I was recommended to see two graves in the temple. One grave was for the late Mrs. Naruko Yanagiwara, the mother of the Emperor Taisho. It is said by some people that she ought to have been treated as a member of the imperial family.
The other grave was the splendid charnel house where the remains of 431 North Korean soldiers are buried. They passed away as Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, but their remains have not yet been confirmed by their survivors. It was built by the charitable people, and the prayers to these deceased North Korean soldiers have been regularly offered by the Japanese government. The remains should be returned to North Korea if the Japanese government’s diplomatic relationship with the country is restored.
