Authorities in Lake County, Illinois, are working to return the skull of a Japanese woman discovered in the possession of a deceased Vietnam War veteran. The remains, marked with the word “Okinawa” on the forehead, were found inside a military footlocker on September 21 in Lake Villa, officials said.
The footlocker was uncovered by a man cleaning out his late father’s automotive shop. According to local law enforcement, the trunk did not belong to the man’s father but likely to another deceased individual who had served in Okinawa and Korea during the Vietnam War. The discovery prompted deputies to investigate the unusual find at the storage lot where the abandoned box truck was located.
Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton stated the skull was examined by a forensic anthropologist at Northwestern University. The analysis determined the remains were consistent with those of an adult female of Japanese ancestry. In addition to the inscription “Okinawa,” the skull bore a hand-drawn depiction of glasses on the forehead and an unclear design on the top.
Officials are coordinating with the Japanese Consulate to facilitate repatriation of the remains. While the Japanese Consulate-General in Chicago did not respond to requests for comment, local authorities emphasized that returning the skull to Japan is a priority. Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains open as they consult further with forensic experts to identify the skull’s more precise origins.
The finding echoes a historically grim practice of U.S. soldiers taking Japanese human remains as trophies during World War II. Similar cases have emerged over the decades, including a 2014 incident when the Japanese Consulate received human remains purported to belong to Japanese soldiers killed on Tinian Island. Skepticism accompanied that case, reflecting the challenges of verifying the provenance of such artifacts.
Colin Dickey, an author and associate professor specializing in cultural histories of death and war relics, noted that while war souvenirs are common globally, the collection of human remains was distinctively prevalent among American troops in the Pacific theater. He attributed this to deeply ingrained racist attitudes that dehumanized Japanese people during the conflict.
Dickey also highlighted the contrasting official military stance condemning the practice, which led to such human trophies being secretly kept. Additionally, he pointed to the post-war collection of irradiated Japanese body parts by American doctors following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—a practice whose remains were only returned to Japan decades later, in 1973.
Despite the passage of time, experts stress the importance of repatriating such remains as a gesture of respect for cultural mourning practices and humanity. “This is how you reaffirm your own humanity,” Dickey said, emphasizing the ethical obligation to honor the burial rites of others even after many years.