Japan will start jointly collecting remains of the war dead with the United States next year mainly in the Pacific area where the two countries fought during World War II, Japanese government sources said Friday.
Tokyo is hoping to accelerate the collection by joining hands with U.S. experts with advanced scientific knowledge in analyzing skeletons, and to strengthen the alliance between the two countries through the joint operation.
The plan may be announced when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama meet in Hawaii on Tuesday to remember those killed in Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the sources said.