Family of US airman who died in wartime medical experiments joins memorial in Japan

More than eight decades later, Sgt. Charles Eugene Palmer’s relatives joined descendants of a convicted Japanese war criminal at a Buddhist temple to remember him and other American troops who died during World War II.

Charles Eugene Palmer’s relatives joined descendants of a convicted Japanese war criminal at a temple to remember him and other American troops. Patricia Schmidt meets Katsuya Toji at Aburayama Kannon Temple in Fukuoka, Japan, Sept. 18, 2026. Toji’s father was convicted of war crimes after carrying out executions on Schmidt’s second cousin and three others during the war. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes) FUKUOKA, Japan — Sgt. Charles Eugene Palmer survived his B-29’s destruction over Japan in the final months of World War II, only to die weeks later after being subjected to medical experiments while in captivity. More than eight decades later, Palmer’s relatives joined descendants of a convicted Japanese war criminal at a Buddhist temple to remember him and other American troops who died during the war.

The memorial ceremony Friday at Aburayama Kannon Temple also included representatives of the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka and others who took part in Buddhist prayers and remembrances. Chief priest Kozen Ujita chanted sutras and read aloud the names of the dead beside Jizo statues donated by Katsuya Toji, whose father, Kentaro Toji, was convicted of war crimes after carrying out four executions during the war. “During the sutra reading just now, the head priest called out the name of Sergeant Charles Palmer,” Toji said during the ceremony. “To call someone’s name is