However, information on Imperial Japanese Army stragglers often filters down into local communities. The Davao association learned two months ago that several former soldiers were in mountains.

According to the health ministry, Imperial Japanese Army soldiers disarmed on battlefields were returned to Japan by the end of the 1950s. But there were more than a few stragglers who had become separated from their units in the jungle or who were not informed of the end of the war. In all, as of 1960, there were an estimated 6,000 soldiers who had not been repatriated.

But with the passage of time, many of these missing men have been listed as deceased on family registers. As a result, the number of soldiers listed as missing in action has decreased over the years. According to the health ministry, there are now only 24 soldiers and civilian military employees listed as missing. These include 18 who went missing in China. Three of the other six went missing in Myanmar, Vietnam and Truk Islands. The place of disappearance of the other three is unknown, but none are listed as having disappeared in the Philippines, and Yamakawa and Nakauchi are registered as war dead.