Latest news with #CornerstoneofPeace
9 hours ago
- General
The Battle of Okinawa
Cultural Snapshots Guide to Japan History Jun 23, 2025 One of the most important war anniversaries in Japan each year marks the June 23, 1945, end of the Battle of Okinawa, a conflict that resulted in the death of more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians. Lasting from April 1 to June 23, 1945, the Battle of Okinawa was a major land-based conflict between Japanese and US forces in the closing stages of World War II that resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians. The Himeyuri student corps, who were female students and teachers mobilized to care for soldiers, are particularly remembered in Japan for the terrible conditions they faced on the front line; many died, including by mass suicide. June 23 is Okinawa Memorial Day in Japan, marking the last day of organized fighting on the island. Each year, a memorial service is held at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture. The park's Cornerstone of Peace records the names of all who died in the battle, regardless of nationality. It has been declared a prefectural holiday, dedicated to consoling the dead and praying for peace. (Originally written in English. Banner photo: A man leaves an offering of flowers before the Cornerstone of Peace at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa, on June 23, 2019. © Jiji.) Okinawa World War II
Yomiuri Shimbun
20 hours ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Foreigners Prominent in Memorial Activities for Battle of Okinawa Victims; Event Reading Names of Victims to Continue Through Monday
NAHA — Foreign nationals are starting to have a clear presence at events to remember the victims of the Battle of Okinawa, which marked the devastating end of the Pacific War. People from more than 20 countries are participating in a movement to read out the names of the over 240,000 war dead engraved on the Cornerstone of Peace monument in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture. The monument was established 30 years ago based on the concept of transforming the 'Typhoon of Steel' — the U.S. forces' heavy artillery shelling and bombing campaign — into waves of peace. It marks its 30th anniversary on Monday, amid continuing prayers for peace both in Japan and internationally. On June 6, Vincent Rina, a 26-year-old trainee from South Sudan, carefully read out the names and ages of the war victims at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Okinawa Center in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture. The names included those of a 1-year-old baby and two children believed to be three siblings. 'Thinking about the short lives these children had is truly heartbreaking,' said Rina, who lost her father in a conflict in her country. 'By highlighting innocent victims, this event contributes to building peace. It's something I want to bring back to my country.' Launched in 2022 by an executive committee of local volunteers, the name-reading initiative has had more and more participants every year. This year, applications from foreign organizations have surged, and the total number of participants is expected to exceed last year's record of about 5,800. For this reason, romaji romanized spellings were added to the names for the first time. The readings have been held daily in a relay format since June 1 and will continue until Monday, the day of the Okinawa Memorial Service for All War Dead, which commemorates the victims of the Battle of Okinawa. On June 6, about 20 individuals from 14 different countries participated in the reading at JICA, including JICA trainees and international students. Among them was Fernando Nakasone, a fourth-generation Japanese-Peruvian student from the University of the Ryukyus. Nakasone's uncle lost two younger sisters, ages 11 and 8, in Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa. The two girls were killed by a bomb shortly after leaving a cave in search of water. Nakasone heard the story from his uncle when he was a child. 'I want to share this unforgettable history in Peru, too,' he said.
Japan Today
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Emperor, empresss, Princess Aiko honor war dead in Okinawa
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, pay their respects at the national cemetery for the war dead in Itoman, Okinawa, on Wednesday. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paid their respects to the war dead in Okinawa on Wednesday ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, accompanied by their daughter Princess Aiko on her first trip to the prefecture. The imperial family visited the national cemetery in Itoman and laid flowers at the ossuary housing the remains of approximately 180,000 people who died in the battle. They spoke with bereaved family members who had gathered there and visited the Cornerstone of Peace cenotaph, where the names of the war dead are inscribed. The couple strongly encouraged their daughter to join them on the two-day trip, a move underscoring the imperial family's desire to remember and pass on the lessons of the war to the next generation. The imperial family visited the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum later in the day, where a 91-year-old survivor said Princess Aiko told her she had "felt the importance of peace" through the visit. The family also engaged with youth in their 20s and 30s who are helping to preserve and share wartime stories for future generations, asking what led them to become involved in such efforts. The emperor and empress released a statement through the Imperial Agency after the trip, saying, "With the importance of peace engraved in our hearts, and with remembrance of all who died in the Battle of Okinawa or were forced to endure hardship because of the war, we renew our wish for peace." The emperor has consistently expressed his strong desire for peace, echoing the sentiments of his father, former Emperor Akihito, who reflected at length on the war fought in the name of his father, Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa. Okinawa fell into U.S. hands in the closing months of World War II in 1945 through the Battle of Okinawa, which began in March of that year with the landing of U.S. troops on the Kerama Islands near the main island of Okinawa. Around 200,000 people -- both Japanese and American -- lost their lives in the ensuing ground battle. In July 1975, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko, then crown prince and princess, became the first imperial family members to visit Okinawa after the war. But with local sentiment toward the emperor remaining deeply conflicted at the time, the couple had a Molotov cocktail thrown at them by radicals during a visit to the Himeyuri Cenotaph, constructed in remembrance of student nurses and teachers killed in the war. Still, the former emperor strived to connect with the locals, becoming, in April 1993, the first-ever reigning emperor to officially visit Okinawa. Together with his time as crown prince, he visited a total of 11 times by 2018 before abdicating the following year. In May 2022, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako remotely attended a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan from U.S. rule and visited the island prefecture the following October for cultural events. In April, the emperor and empress visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce battle in the Pacific between Japan and the United States, to mourn the war dead. The couple is also scheduled to visit the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki later this month. © KYODO
San Francisco Chronicle
04-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Japan's emperor and his family pray in Okinawa for the victims of the island battle 80 years ago
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his family prayed on Wednesday in Okinawa for all the war dead in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II that was fought on the southern Japanese island 80 years ago. The commemoration comes as many residents of Okinawa and the nearby islands are increasingly concerned about the possibility of another war as regional tensions with China escalate. Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, cared especially about Okinawa because of its difficult history, setting an example for his son. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, asked their 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, to accompany them on Wednesday's trip in an apparent effort to convey their attention for history on the next generation. It is Aiko's first visit to Okinawa. The three first headed to the island's last battlefield of Itoman and laid white flowers before an ossuary at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum, where the remains of most of the victims are placed. The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945 when the U.S. troops, in their push for mainland Japan, landed on the island. It lasted until late June, killing more than 200,000 people. Nearly half of them were civilian residents of Okinawa, including students and victims of mass suicides ordered by the Japanese military, which waged the war in the name of Naruhito's grandfather, late Emperor Hirohito. On June 23, the island will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, which led to heavy American troop presence on the island, even after the nearly 30 years of U.S. occupation ended in 1972. Naruhito, in his birthday remarks in February, stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace. The imperial family later on Wednesday visited the Cornerstone of Peace memorial, which has the engraved names of about a quarter million war dead on the Mabuni Hill where the battle ended. They also visited a permanent war exhibit at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum and met with the survivors and families of those bereaved in the battle. Wednesday's visit was Naruhito's seventh visit to Okinawa. He last visited in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Japan's emperor and his family pray in Okinawa for the victims of the island battle 80 years ago
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his family prayed on Wednesday in Okinawa for all the war dead in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II that was fought on the southern Japanese island 80 years ago. The commemoration comes as many residents of Okinawa and the nearby islands are increasingly concerned about the possibility of another war as regional tensions with China escalate. Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, cared especially about Okinawa because of its difficult history, setting an example for his son. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, asked their 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, to accompany them on Wednesday's trip in an apparent effort to convey their attention for history on the next generation. It is Aiko's first visit to Okinawa. The three first headed to the island's last battlefield of Itoman and laid white flowers before an ossuary at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum, where the remains of most of the victims are placed. The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945 when the U.S. troops, in their push for mainland Japan, landed on the island. It lasted until late June, killing more than 200,000 people. Nearly half of them were civilian residents of Okinawa, including students and victims of mass suicides ordered by the Japanese military, which waged the war in the name of Naruhito's grandfather, late Emperor Hirohito. On June 23, the island will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, which led to heavy American troop presence on the island, even after the nearly 30 years of U.S. occupation ended in 1972. Naruhito, in his birthday remarks in February, stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace. The imperial family later on Wednesday visited the Cornerstone of Peace memorial, which has the engraved names of about a quarter million war dead on the Mabuni Hill where the battle ended. They also visited a permanent war exhibit at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum and met with the survivors and families of those bereaved in the battle. Wednesday's visit was Naruhito's seventh visit to Okinawa. He last visited in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan.
