Jakarta. The Indonesian government plans to repatriate the remains believed to be those of nine Japanese soldiers who died during World War II, an official said on Sunday.

The remains were retrieved from an area in Biak Numfor regency, Papua province, during excavations by a joint team of Indonesian and Japanese authorities from May 20-30.

"The finding was a positive result of the 2019 agreement between the Indonesian government, represented by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, and the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta regarding the excavation of remains of Japanese soldiers who died during World War II in Papua," said Hilmar Farid, the ministry’s director general of culture.

The remains have been flown to Jakarta for identification through DNA tests, Hilmar added.

The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia during World War II from 1942 to 1945 and recruited millions of Indonesians as forced laborers.

"Regardless of what happened in the past, these ongoing efforts represent our mission to honor humanity and serve as a reminder to prevent a recurrence," he said.