The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, at Tokyo International Airport's cargo area of a refrigerator compartment used to store embalmed bodies of foreigners who are repatriated by Airhearse International Inc. from Japan. Bodies the company transports to the airport after embalming are loaded onto international commercial flights for repatriation. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Airhearse International Inc. President Rie Kimura stands at Tokyo International Airport's cargo area on Oct. 23, 2017, in front of a white hearse minivan used to transport bodies. The six-person operation exclusively handles the repatriation of bodies and human remains from Japan and abroad. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, of Airhearse International Inc. President Rie Kimura standing next to the company's "Angel Freight" logo that appears on the rear door of a truck used as a preparation site for bodies in the cargo area at Tokyo International Airport. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, in the cargo area at Tokyo International Airport of Airhearse International Inc.'s truck. The truck, which has built-in ventilation and pulleys for coffins, is used as a preparation site, mainly for Japanese nationals who have been repatriated from abroad. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, of a coffin that contained the body of a Japanese national who was repatriated in the cargo area at Tokyo International Airport. Bodies of the deceased, Japanese and foreign alike, are prepared by Airhearse International Inc. on-site before procedures for burial or repatriation are carried out. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, of a refrigerator in the cargo area of Tokyo International Airport used to store embalmed bodies of foreigners who are repatriated from Japan by Airhearse International Inc. Bodies the company transports to the airport after embalming are loaded onto international commercial flights for repatriation. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

The last journey home -- repatriating the deceased from Japan and abroad

Photo taken on Oct. 23, 2017, of Airhearse International Inc. President Rie Kimura. The six-person operation led by Kimura exclusively handles the repatriation of bodies and human remains from its office in the restricted cargo area of Tokyo International Airport. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo