Heads bowed, experts offered their respects on Monday ahead of an excavation aimed at recovering the remains of Japanese soldiers from World War II in southern Taiwan.
The site is linked to the sinking of a military transport vessel and other ships in the Bashi Channel after they were attacked by U.S. forces in 1944. According to historian Kazuko Tachi, who is also an activist involved in the recovery efforts, more than 4,700 soldiers and crew members died while 65 survived.