Juxtaposed: Former rival Japanese, American troops return to Leyte

MANILA, Philippines - Images from World War II in 1944 placed side by side with recent photos from Japan's and the United States' relief mission in the Philippines for super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims, revealing quaint similarities.

The photo, put together by Facebook user Judd Romano, went viral on the social network with over 9,000 shares as of Tuesday afternoon.

The 1944 picture of Japanese women bid a kamikaze aircraft goodbye as it departs to attack the Philippines is contrasted with a November 2013 photo showing troops waving goodbye at a plane headed for the Philippines.

This month, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dispatched 1,000 troops to the Philippines in the largest aid mission in Japan's military history.

Related: Japan to send 1,000 troops to Yolanda-ravaged Visayas

The East Asian nation fought against American troops in Leyte in what would be known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered as the largest naval combat in World War II.

It was also on Leyte island that General Douglas MacArthur and his staff landed at Palo Beach on October 20, 1944, symbolizing the end of the war.

Also read: 1912 reports on Tacloban storm killing 15,000 resurface

"Today, Leyte is the site of both countries' largest relief operations ... Similarly, US Marines wade ashore in Leyte, not to wage war, but to lend a helping hand, liberating our people from a calamity that even a superpower cannot handle by itself," Romano, a Filipino working in Hiroshima, wrote.

"The world is different now. What was once enemies are now the strongest of allies," he added. - Camille Diola