Japanese civic groups on Friday called on Tokyo to promptly return the remains of Korean forced labor victims, including those who died in the 1945 sinking of the Ukishima Maru transport ship.

Three organizations met officials from the Japanese health ministry at the lower house of Japan's parliament to demand DNA testing and an update on the process of transporting the remains to bereaved families.

They stressed that while remains from the Josei coal mine have drawn attention, the remains of others who were taken from the Korean Peninsula are still awaiting repatriation.

The groups emphasized that the remains of 700 people are still stored at Yutenji Temple in Tokyo, including 275 that have been identified as South Korean, and urged Tokyo to make “sincere efforts” to return them to their home countries, including those originating in North Korea, despite the regime's absence of diplomatic ties with Japan.

They also raised concerns regarding Korean remains found in Japan's Okinawa and Pacific islands such as Tarawa, Kiribati, seeking clarity on the Japanese government’s response.

The Ukishima Maru, a naval transport vessel, was in the process of repatriating Koreans from Japan to Busan when it exploded and sank near Kyoto’s Port of Maizuru on August 24, 1945, killing hundreds.