Overview

• Miyagi Prefectural Police said the remains are those of six-year-old Natsuse Yamane, who vanished during the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
• A jaw fragment and teeth were recovered in February 2023 in Minamisanriku during coastal cleanup by a construction crew.
• Investigators confirmed the identity through DNA testing and protein analysis on a tooth, with assistance from Tohoku University.
• Police said the child was swept from her home in Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, and the remains will be returned to her relatives after the identification.
• The family expressed gratitude for the notification, as nationwide efforts continue with about 15,900 confirmed dead and roughly 2,500 still missing from the disaster.