Looted Artifacts Taken from Japan During World War II Found in Massachusetts Attic

In the attic of a Massachusetts private residence, the FBI recovered 22 cultural treasures from Okinawa, Japan.

Special agent Geoffrey J. Kelly, from the FBI Boston field office, was notified about a trove of Asian art in a private residence in January 2023, the FBI said. The residence was previously owned by a World War II veteran who the FBI said had died. Family members found the works while going through their father’s estate.

The FBI worked with the National Stolen Art File to recover the artifacts, among them six painted scrolls from the 18th and 19th centuries, a 19th-century hand-drawn map of Okinawa, and pieces of pottery and ceramics.

The objects were looted during the last days of the war, when notable treasures and documents of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879) were taken during the Battle of Okinawa. The artifact found depicted Okinawan royalty.

The objects were repatriated to the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Denny Tamaki, governor of Okinawa Prefecture, received them in an official ceremony.