Investigators this week revealed that the skeletal remains of several individuals were discovered inside burlap sacks at a materials’ storage facility in Aikawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, in mid-August. Four skulls and five or six femurs and humeri were reportedly found. The Kanagawa Prefectural Police are treating it as an abandonment of corpses case, believing that someone left the remains at the site, which is located in a mountainous area surrounded by fields and junkyards.

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Skulls Discovered by Car Exporter 

According to investigators, the sacks were discovered by a man managing the facility at approximately 5 p.m. on August 19.  After checking the contents, he was surprised to see what appeared to be human bones. He subsequently decided to report his findings to Atsugi Police Station’s Takamine substation. The police are using DNA analysis to try to identify the remains. One of the skulls is believed to be female, while the other three are male. Some of the bones were reportedly covered in mud. 

The storage site is currently being rented by a Sri Lankan national. He’s been using the land to export used cars. In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, he said, “Someone left the bags there. I don’t know anything about them.” A woman who lives near the site said she was worried about the number of abandoned cars in the area, adding, “I’ve heard things were stolen before.”

Human Remains at Former Site of Chosei Undersea Mine 

Human remains were also recovered this week at the former site of the Chosei Undersea Mine in western Yamaguchi Prefecture. Divers from Kizamu Kai, a Japanese civil organization dedicated to locating and preserving the remains of victims of wartime forced labor, discovered three bones at the site. They are certain that the bones belong to at least one of the victims of a 1942 flooding accident, which reportedly killed 136 Korean forced laborers and 47 Japanese workers. 

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Updated On August 28, 2025