Leap day, leap of faith

Today is a leap day, and only happens once every four years.
  

‘Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you’. I received this in a fortune cookie mid last year. I can’t remember the exact time, I think I was having Thai with a few friends. However, I found it in the pocket of my white blazer three months ago, and have kept it on my computer since, a small reminder to not stop trying.

Today, I put into the postbox the signed form that will enable the start of the investigation into finding the descendants of the fallen Japanese soldier.

Two days ago (27^th February 2012), I received a reply back from the letter I addressed to the Japanese Ambassador, Mr Shigekazu Sato on the 16^th February 2012. I was taken by complete surprise, when I received such a positive response. 

The Japanese Embassy is forwarding all the information about my grandfather, the Samurai Sword and the photographs he found, onto the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japan. They will then commence, and conduct an investigation into tracking down the Japanese soldier’s family.

As I was reading the reply, I was preparing myself for bad news, presuming they couldn’t help. However, as I kept reading it, bad news never came. I read the email three times, just to make sure I understood that what I was reading, was infact true.

The investigation to find the soldier could take anywhere up to 6 months - to a year. For the first time since I started this journey, I felt that this dream and fantasy of returning the sword, and taking my grandfather back to Japan may actually come true. A leap of faith x

Reply from the Japanese Embassy:-

Dear Ashleigh,

Thank you very much for your enquiry in relation to the Imperial Japanese Army sword and war photographs in your possession. The Embassy would like to express its sincere gratitude to your grandfather for his decision to return the above artefacts to the family of the original owner, and would also like to convey its appreciation for the amount of effort that you have made in tracing the origins of the sword and the information provided on the reverse side of the photographs.

The Embassy takes particular interest in artefacts retrieved from various locations across the Asia Pacific, and does provide a service by which, at the behest of the current owner, any heirlooms or other items of personal value can be returned to the original owner, their relatives, or any descendants wherever feasibly possible.

In order to facilitate a search for the owner and/or his or her relatives, I have attached a “Request for Investigation of Lost Articles” form.

I have taken the liberty of filling out the form in as much detail as possible based on the information that you kindly provided in your letter.  If you could complete the final section which deals with your intentions vis-à-vis the article(s) should any surviving family members be located, this would be much appreciated. The submission date section at the beginning of the form can be left blank.

In addition, the photographs that you provided with your letter will certainly be of great use, however if it is at all possible, if you could also include as many digital photographs of the sword (including the hilt guard and tang) and war photographs as possible when you return the form, this would also be greatly appreciated.

After receiving the photographs and form from you, we shall send them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan as a diplomatic cable requesting the initiation of an investigation into the artefacts’ original owner.

Please note, however, that the process of investigating the original owner of the artefacts and any living relatives or descendants can take some time, in most cases between six months to a year.  Your patience in this matter would therefore once again be very much appreciated.

We would like to thank you for your enquiry and for providing us with such extensively researched and detailed information. I trust that this response has been of use to you. 

If you require any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me at or by telephone on .

Sincerely,

_______________________________

| Researcher
Political Section - Embassy of Japan
112 Empire Circuit
Yarralumla ACT 2600

Phone: 
Fax: 02 6273 8073
Web: http://www.au.emb-japan.go.jp/
Email: