Japanese embassy wants Kunio Hoshi buried in Bangladesh

The Japanese embassy in Bangladesh has got in touch with Rangpur’s local administration to have its national Kunio Hoshi buried there.

But Japan’s position on Kunio’s last rites appears unclear as Buddhists are cremated, not buried.

Locals claim the 66-year-old, who came to Bangladesh in May, had converted to Islam while in Rangpur.

Rangpur City Corporation Mayor Sharfuddin Ahmmed Jhantu told bdnews24.com the first secretary of the Japanese embassy had called him up on Thursday morning.

“He asked whether (Hoshi) could be buried at any of the graveyards under the city corporation,” he said.

The official had also inquired about the burial costs, the mayor added.

Hoshi lived in a house in Munshiparha, a city neighbourhood, and worked at a grass farm in Kaunia.

He had known two brothers of the family owning the house even when he was in Japan. 

Hoshi was shot dead on Oct 3 while going to the farm, five days after a similar killing of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone.

Kunio Hoshi

His body has been kept at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Several locals separately said they had seen Hoshi offering prayers at a mosque since he came to live in Rangpur.

The mosque’s Imam, Siddiq Hossain, claimed he had converted the Japanese to Islam.

Mayor Jhantu said, “I’ve told the first secretary that there is no bar to burying Hoshi at a local graveyard if there is proof of his conversion.”

He said the district administration had not given him any information on the matter.

In a separate development, a four-member Japanese team has met Rangpur’s Superintendent of Police Abdur Razzak.

Razzak confirmed the meeting taking place but declined to reveal the issues discussed.