On January 9, 1949, 4,515 bodies were returned to Sasebo from Manila aboard the Bogoda Maru, along with 307 sets of remains. The cremation process took approximately one month, from January 13 to February 13.

 On January 9, 1949, 4,515 bodies were returned to Sasebo, along with 307 sets of remains. The cremation process took approximately one month, from January 13 to February 13. At the coast southwest of the camp, Relief Bureau staff worked tirelessly to inter the ashes as quickly as possible. Smoke from the cremations drifted out to sea every day—through wind, snow, and even on Sundays. After being placed in bone boxes, the ashes were gathered at scenic sites near Sasebo. Memorial towers were erected for the Japanese soldiers who had died in battle on foreign soil, and finally, they returned to the soil of their homeland, Japan. Prior to this, the U.S. military had carefully verified the remains against lists of Japanese soldiers killed in action on the Pacific battlefields. Some of these remains had been temporarily buried by U.S. forces in the outskirts of Manila.

The repatriation did not only include survivors. Many war dead or those who died during the repatriation journey were also returned. Uncremated bodies and remains came back as well. War dead from Manila, a fierce battleground, were to be returned to their families. On January 9, 1949, the remains, including those of civilians, aboard the U.S. Army transport ship “Bogota Maru” returning to Sasebo were cremated at an open-air crematorium on the outskirts of Sasebo. After cremation, the remains, except for those of the unidentified, were handed over to their families. The full-scale collection of remains of those who died overseas began in 1953 and continues to this day.

On January 9, 1949, the remains of 4,834 soldiers killed in action in the Philippines arrived at Sasebo Port aboard the U.S. military transport ship Bogota Maru. The Bogota Maru, a U.S. military transport ship, carried the bodies and remains of those killed in action in the Philippine theater. The Bogota Maru was originally a cargo ship. Unlike battleships, cargo ships had thinner hulls and open cargo holds without bulkheads, making them vulnerable to sinking from water pressure if hit by shells. The Bogota Maru also transported over 10,000 surviving repatriates from the Philippines, Bangkok, and other locations to mainland Japan.