The remains of a five-year-old boy who died in the March 11 tsunami have been identified and were returned to surviving relatives on Jan. 24.
The boy was the only known pre-grade school victim of either Miyagi or Fukushima prefectures who was still unidentified.
According to Miyagi Prefectural Police, the boy's body was found off the coast of Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, in late April. Since June, the boy's ashes were being kept at Myokoin temple in Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture, where the head temple priest and nearby residents left toys and picture books as gifts.
Miyagi Prefectural Police say that there were 12 requests from parents and other relatives for DNA comparisons against the boy's remains, and the 12th test came out a match, based on DNA test records of the mother, who also died in the disaster. The boy's ashes were returned to his grandparents and will be buried by his mother's ashes.
Ryushin Miyabe, 29, a priest at Myokoin, said, "It's good that the ashes were returned to where they were meant to be. From now on, his ashes can be prayed for by name."
The grandparents released a comment saying, "Our grandchild, whose identification we had been waiting anxiously for, has returned to us. We would like to express our thanks." The child's name has been withheld by will of the grandparents.
Myokoin still holds the ashes of another unidentified disaster victim. Miyabe says, "There are still many victims who are unidentified, and I hope they can be returned like the boy was."
According to Miyagi Prefectural Police, of the around 1,800 residents still unaccounted for from the disaster, 423 are unidentified remains. Police are continuing to try to identify the remains with DNA tests and other methods.
(Mainichi Japan) January 25, 2012
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120125p2a00m0na018000c.html
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