Okinawa marks 80th anniversary of end of WWII ground battle
NAHA Japan (Kyodo) -- Okinawa on Monday observed the 80th anniversary of the end of a fierce World War II ground battle between Japan and the United States that took the lives of over 200,000 military personnel and residents.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki attended a service at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, where the final stage of the battle was fought. Another 342 names were added to the list of war dead inscribed on monuments, bringing the total to 242,567 people.
The Battle of Okinawa from March through June 1945 in the Japanese southern island prefecture took a heavy toll on the local population, with one in four residents killed.
After Japan's defeat, Okinawa was under U.S. administration until 1972 and it continues to host the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan.
Anti-base sentiment runs deep due to noise, pollution and crimes committed by American service members, with a series of alleged sexual assault cases revealed recently fueling anger among local residents.
Japan has been strengthening its defense capabilities in the prefecture in recent years as tensions grow with China over Taiwan and the nearby Senkaku Islands, a group of uninhabited islets controlled by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing, which calls them Diaoyu.
The move has raised concern among Okinawans that their islands could again become the front line of conflict.
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