Wreckage of WWII Japanese Fighter Discovered In Biak
KABAR-IRIAN ("Irian News") September 9, 2000

JAKARTA, Indonesia (September 9, 2000 – Indonesian Observer/Kabar-Irian)---Villagers on Biak Island, West Papua (Irian Jaya) have discovered the wreckage of a Japanese fighter plane that crashed during World War II. Yusup Rumaropen, a local official, yesterday said a Japanese service pistol and a wristwatch belonging to the pilot were also found within the wreckage of the plane. Biak Island is located in Cendrawasih Bay, off the northern coast of West Papua. West Papua, which comprises the western half of New Guinea Island, was a major battleground between Japanese and Allied forces during World War II. In June, villagers found wreckage of two P-47s, U.S. fighters that escorted allied bombers on raids against Japanese bases along the northern coast of New Guinea. Rumaropen did not identify the plane type, but Mitsubishi Zeros, Japan’s best-known fighters of the war, operated in the area. He said the plane would be recovered and displayed in the local museum.