A Japanese government team has collected the remains of 342 former Japanese prisoners of war detained in the Irkutsk area of southern Russia. The team headed back to Japan on Friday with the remains.

The remains were found buried on the outskirts of Taishet and in other nearby areas. A team of experts from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been working in the region to look for and collect the remains.

The prisoners had been captured during World War II and were detained in Siberia after the war.