Unclaimed remains placed in the vault under the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima will undergo DNA profiling to identify the individual, city government officials have said.
It will be the first time remains of a victim of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in August 1945, in the closing days of World War II, has undergone DNA testing. Such testing has not been conducted until now as it was believed to be difficult to identify an individual through DNA analysis of remains that had been burned.
DNA testing will be conducted after hair was found inside the urn containing the remains, following an inquiry by possible bereaved relatives in May, the city officials said Monday.
The city government plans to ask Kanagawa Dental University in Kanagawa Prefecture to conduct DNA analysis using the hair.
“If scientific knowledge is gained that remains can be identified from hair 80 years later, we will continue to implement such activities on request,” a city official said.
The vault contains the ashes of around 70,000 victims. Among them, those of 812 people are unclaimed although their names have been identified.
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