Japanese Grave Marker In Carmen

When the Americans came to liberate the Philippines during World War 2, many Japanese soldiers fled Leyte when General Douglas MacArthur returned. Some of the soldiers reached Cebu during their retreat. Due to this, it is not surprising that a Japanese grave marker can be found in the northern town of Carmen.

Carmen

Cebu Safari and Adventure Park – image source: cebudailynews.inquirer.net

Carmen was once a quiet northern town people pass by whenever they take a trip to the north. This mainly agricultural town is experiencing a rebirth as tourism is gradually becoming one of the industries of the town. Carmen is home to a number of tourist destinations, including the Mangitngit Falls, St. Benedict Monastery, and the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park.

Japanese Grave Marker

The Japanese Grave Marker is situated on the property of the parents of Ranulfo Ybañez. According to Ybañez, some elderly Japanese men visited their place in 1975. They wanted to trace an event that happened during the Second World War. The Japanese men were supposedly soldiers who landed in the barangay during the war. One of their comrades was badly wounded and left in the area. He later succumbed to his injuries. 

Japanese Grave Marker – image source: carmencebu.gov.ph

A memorial was set up at the place where the Japanese soldier died. One of the markers bore the name of the Japanese soldier who died, Koji Oomiya. It also indicated the date he died, on January 31, 1945. The back of the marker also shows the name of the person who set it up, Hideo Oomiya, on October 2002.

The marker is now one of the stopovers of some Japanese tourists visiting Cebu. These tourists were veterans and their families. There was also an instance when three busloads of Japanese tourists dropped by the place to pay their respects to their fallen countryman. 

Getting to the Japanese Grave Marker

Carmen – image source: flickr.com

​The Japanese grave marker is located in Barangay Dauis Sur in Carmen. You can get to the place by getting on a jeepney or bus headed for the town of Carmen. Just tell the driver to let you off at the area where the marker is located in the barangay. It is a two-minute walk from the highway.

The Japanese grave marker in Carmen shows the devotion of the Japanese to those who died during the war. It also shows the respect they have for these fallen soldiers who fought in a war far from their homeland.