Japan Bogged Down in Foreign Victim Identification

Tokyo (Jiji Press) - A month and half since the huge earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeastern Japan, the country is struggling to get a complete picture of the number of foreigners who fell victim to the unprecedented disaster.
Only 23 foreigners have been identified among the more than 14,000 people confirmed dead, according to the National Police Agency.
Of them, 10 were from South or North Korea, eight from China, two from the Untied States and one each from Canada, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The largest number, 14, were found in Miyagi Prefecture, followed by five in Iwate Prefecture and two each in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
With many bodies still unidentified, however, the foreign fatality toll may grow further, although estimates of the number of missing people vary widely among domestic and foreign authorities.
Some 50 foreigners are unaccounted for, said an official at the Japanese Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau.
The Chinese embassy in Tokyo claims about 40 Chinese are still missing and has submitted a list to Japanese police to trace their whereabouts.
Given the population of South Korean expatriates in Japan, there may be more nationals who are missing, said an official at the South Korean consulate-general in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi.
Miyagi prefectural police's disaster hot-line has received inquires about at least 100 foreigners.
There are many cases of unidentified bodies that were handed over to municipalities and buried temporarily or cremated.
As of Sunday, 7,337 of 8,667 bodies found in Miyagi had been handed over to the families after their identities were confirmed.
With 1,054 unidentified bodies handed over to local governments, there is a chance that this figure includes some foreign victims, some point out.