North East important part of WW II reconciliation process: Japanese envoy

NEW DELHI, March 26 - North East, especially Manipur and Nagaland, with the region�s many remnants of second World War, is an important part of the reconciliation process between Japan and Britain, according to Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu.

He made these comments during a special screening of �Memories of a Forgotten War�, a feature-length documentary directed by Utpal Borpujari and produced by Subimal Bhattacharjee here.

The screening was hosted by Hiramatsu, who has been a keen advocate of the reconciliation process for several decades now, at his official residence for the senior officials of his Embassy as well as representatives of a few Japanese organisations, including Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Information Centre.

Hiramatsu stressed on the need to collect the bones of the dead Japanese soldiers from various parts of the region and said it would be a ongoing process aimed at enabling the families and the people of Japan to pay their last respects to those who laid down their lives for their nation.

Hiramatsu has visited Manipur, Nagaland and Assam in the recent past and is planning to visit Manipur again to participate in the annual World War II commemoration programme in the State in May.

�Memories of a Forgotten War� had its world premiere as part of the Indian Panorama at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa last year.

Bhattacharjee said the film was an effort to bring out a positive aspect of the North East and tell an important historical narrative of the region that is often projected in a negative way in the rest of the country.

According to Borpujari, the film is part of his continuing efforts to bring out untold stories from the NE through the medium of cinema. � PTI