The area around the banks of the Hija River in the town of Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture, is dotted with graves that are left unattended with no one to inherit them, posing a growing problem for urban development and safety works.
Ownership of 90 percent or more of the 116 graves within nearby Yarajoseki Park, which is operated by the town and is soon to undergo renovation work, is currently unknown.
Carved into the cliffs below housing operated by the prefecture, where work is being urgently conducted to prevent rockfalls or the cliff collapsing, graves where the identities of the owner and the remains interred are unclear have left authorities at a loss regarding how to proceed.
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