The children of a World War II veteran were cleaning out the attic at his house after he died when they found almost two dozen Japanese antiques, according to NPR.
They eventually contacted the FBI about what they found, and the agency discovered that the items were in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File database.
Now, the antiques have been returned to Japan.
What were the Japanese antiques?
NBC News reports that there were 22 antiques found, including painted scrolls, a map of Okinawa, pottery and ceramics. There was also a letter explaining that the items were taken around the end of World War II.
The FBI shared in an X post that all the artifacts are from Okinawa.
According to the FBI, the artifacts were from the 18th to 19th centuries and depicted Okinawan royalty.
In World War II, there was the Battle of Okinawa, and during that battle many treasured artifacts were stolen from what is known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, per NPR. The Ryukyu Kingdom had a 400-year history in Okinawa before its end in 1879.
On March 15, 2024, the artifacts safely made it to Okinawa, where the the governor of the Okinawa Prefecture, Denny Tamaki, participated in the official turnover, per the FBI.
What is the National Stolen Art File database?
According to NBC News, the family who found the artifacts did some research on them and found out that they were in a database known as the National Stolen Art File, which is open to the public and law enforcement agencies around the world.
The FBI explains that the database helps members of the public and law enforcement officials figure out the origin of various antiques.
Back in 2001, the Japanese Prefectural Board of Education registered missing art from Okinawa into this database. That is how the World War II veteran’s family was able to find out what they had.
The National Stolen Art File database has helped recover over 20,000 art pieces and artifacts that are valued at over $900 million, per the FBI.