Kokichi Nishimura

Kōkichi Nishimura
Born	8 December 1919 Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
Died	October 2015 (aged 95) Saitama Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Gochō (Corporal)
Unit	IJA 55th Division
Battles/wars	World War II (New Guinea campaign, Burma Campaign)

Kōkichi Nishimura (西村幸吉, Nishimura Kōkichi, December 8, 1919 – October 2015) was a Japanese soldier and businessman who devoted his post-retirement years to traveling to Papua New Guinea to recover the remains of his former comrades and other Japanese soldiers who died during the Second World War. His life was described in the 2008 book Kokoda Bone Man by Australian journalist Charles Happell.

Nishimura grew up in Kōchi Prefecture in Shikoku. He had three siblings, and their father became ill and died when he was nine, and Nishimura worked to help support his family. When he was 11 the family moved to Ota-ku, Tokyo and he worked in a factory by day while studying at a technical school by night. At 15 he became a fitter and machinist in a factory, and began to build a reputation as a trouble-shooter. He returned to Kochi City for his military medical examination in 1940 and was conscripted the following year.

Nishimura was assigned to the 3rd platoon of the 5th company of the 144th Regiment of the South Seas Detachment (南海支隊, nankai shitai) under Major General Tomitarō Horii. After six months of difficult training which included severe beatings from officers, he and his unit shipped out of Kochi on September 22, 1941 on the Yokohama Maru. After meeting no resistance from the Americans on Guam, and relatively light resistance from the Australians on New Britain, Nishimura's unit was deployed to New Guinea.

The Yokohama Maru was sunk by air attack, and Nishimura's unit took part in the thrust towards Port Moresby and fought on the Kokoda Track. After surviving being shot three times Nishimura was the only man of his 56-member platoon to survive the Battle of Brigade Hill, referred to by the Japanese as the Battle of Efogi.

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