FBI returned stolen artifacts found in attic to Japan

The FBI is returning 22 looted artifacts to Japan after they were discovered in an attic in Massachusetts. An investigation into items that were stolen during the Battle of Okinawa began after a family discovered them among their late father’s belongings.

The US FBI has returned 22 centuries-old artifacts to Okinawa, Japan, after a family discovered them in the attic of their late father’s home in Massachusetts, The Guardian writes.

Agents with the FBI’s Boston Division announced Friday that the recovery of the looted items follows a lengthy investigation that began when they received a call from a family who came across the items while going through their late father’s belongings.

The father was a World War II veteran but did not serve in the Pacific Theater, according to the FBI.

Art Crimes Coordinator Jeffrey Kelly of the FBI’s Boston office said the man’s children, however, “came across what they thought was very valuable Asian art.”

“There were some scrolls, some pottery, an ancient map. They looked old and valuable. And because of that, they did some research and determined that at least the scrolls had been added to the FBI’s National Stolen Art File about 20 years ago,” Kelly said.

Among the exhibits were six painted scrolls from the 18th and 19th centuries, three of which were a single piece and appeared to have been divided into three parts. Other items included a hand-drawn map of Okinawa dating back to the 19th century, as well as various ceramics, The Guardian notes.

According to the FBI, a typewritten letter that was also found among the artifacts helped confirm that the items were looted in the final days of World War II.

“Taken together, they really represent a significant part… of the history” of Okinawa, which was the site of a decisive battle during World War II, says Jeffrey Kelly.

After the discovery of the artifacts, the FBI moved them to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Asian Art Museum in Washington, DC. The scrolls were unfurled for the first time at the museum, displaying “portraits of members of the Okinawa royal family in vibrant red, gold and blue,” the FBI said.

“It’s an exciting moment when you watch the scroll unfold before you,” Kelly said. He added: “You’re witnessing history and you’re witnessing something that a lot of people haven’t seen for a very long time.

The cultural identity of a nation is actually expressed through artifacts and history. This is what creates culture. And without this, you are depriving them of history. And the surest way to destroy a culture is to destroy their past. And so it is really important for us, as custodians of artifacts and cultural heritage, to make every effort to ensure that they are returned to the civilizations and cultures of the countries to which they belong.”

Family members who discovered the artifacts returned to Okinawa asked that their identities be kept secret, said the FBI, which granted the request.

According to the FBI’s national file on stolen art, several Okinawan artifacts are still missing, including various portraits of members of the Okinawan royal family.