This T-shirt was discovered near human skeletal remains found on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, on March 21, 2024. (Okinawa Prefectural Police)
Human bones discovered more than a year ago at a Marine Corps base on Okinawa belong to a local man who went missing in 2018, according to Japanese police.
The man, who was in his 70s at the time of his disappearance, was reported missing by family members that year, a Nago police department spokesman said by phone Friday. He declined to release the man’s name or exact age.
Police identified the man using DNA testing, the spokesman said.
A contractor conducting an environmental survey at a construction site on Camp Schwab found the bones on March 21, 2024. The site is part of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma replacement project and is managed by the Okinawa Defense Bureau – not the U.S. military.
Items recovered nearby included a long-sleeved shirt, a T-shirt, a belt, black socks and 201 yen — about $1.40 — Okinawa Prefectural Police said in a November news release. At the time, police appealed to the public for help in identifying the remains.
The man is believed to have died around the time he was reported missing, and no foul play is suspected based on the condition of the bones, the Nago police spokesman said. The investigation remains ongoing.
“The bones were found in an area where many wild animals live, and they might have been moved by these animals,” he said.
Some Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
