Netaji Subhas’ daughter renews call for return of ashes from Japan

Two days before the 80th death anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff has once again urged the government to bring his ashes back from Japan for a final disposal in India.

“As Netaji’s daughter, I invite Indians of today, who still remember and respect him, to support his posthumous return from exile and the transfer of his mortal remains to India for a final disposal,” Bose Pfaff said in a statement. Her appeal comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Japan later this month.

Bose was cremated in Taipei after a fatal plane crash on August 18, 1945. His ashes were later taken to Tokyo, where the head priest of the Renkoji Temple agreed to keep them temporarily at the request of the Indian community there. Nearly eight decades later, the remains continue to rest at the temple, carefully preserved and honoured by successive generations of priests.

“Netaji’s 80th death anniversary on August 18, 2025, marks a grim reality — a national hero remains in exile even 78 years after India became independent,” Bose Pfaff noted.

Bose’s death was closely tied to the course of the Second World War. After Japan’s surrender following the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito announced capitulation on August 15, 1945. For India, this also meant the collapse of Japanese support to Bose and the Indian National Army’s struggle for independence.

Attempting to fly to Tokyo on August 17, Bose’s plane halted in Taipei the next day, where it crashed on takeoff after losing an engine. He suffered severe burns and died of his injuries on August 18, 1945.