Okinawa vows to preserve lessons on 80th anniv. of WWII battle end
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 14:27 | All, Japan, World
Okinawa on Monday vowed to preserve and pass on the lessons of history in a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of a fierce World War II ground battle between Japan and the United States that took over 200,000 military and civilian lives.
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.
At the event, Tamaki said the reality of the battle and its lessons "have been preserved from the stories of war survivors" and form the "roots of the people of Okinawa and our enduring desire for peace."
He told the ceremony it is "our mission as those living in the present to preserve and pass on" the significance of the battle to future generations "as the spirit of Okinawa."
Speaking amid heightened concerns over conflicts worldwide, Ishiba said "it is the nation's vital responsibility to squarely face the folly and tragedy of war, and to do its utmost for a peaceful and prosperous Okinawa."
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 continues to host the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan. Referring to the long-running local discontent, Tamaki said the prefecture "continues to shoulder an outsized burden for U.S. bases."
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.
Ishiba pledged in his speech at the ceremony to "visibly reduce the burden of U.S. bases on Okinawa," calling it his "deep-held resolve."
Other attendees included Shigemitsu Tanaka, a representative of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024, and Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. undersecretary general and high representative for disarmament affairs.
Before the ceremony, those who experienced the war and their relatives paid their respects at the Itoman park's Cornerstone of Peace.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Asako Idogawa, 89, repeatedly traced the inscription of the name of her older brother, who was burned by a U.S. flamethrower. "Perhaps I won't be able to come next year," she said, adding that "war is cruel."
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.
Related coverage:
U.S. asked Japan to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP
Japan imperial couple visit Hiroshima A-bomb survivors nursing home
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
China to invite Trump to Sept. military parade marking WWII victory
KYODO NEWS - 15 minutes ago - 21:00 | World, All China is planning to invite U.S. President Donald Trump to a military parade scheduled for Sept. 3 in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday. The United States, meanwhile, has proposed that Chinese President Xi Jinping visit the country during the same month, coinciding with a U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, the sources said. If either plan is realized, it would be the first in-person meeting between the leaders of the world's two largest economies since Trump's return to the White House in January for a nonconsecutive second four-year term. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the parade in Beijing, held to commemorate what China calls its victory in the 1937-1945 War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. A joint celebration of war victory by the leaders of China, Russia and the United States would likely pose a diplomatic challenge for Japan. During their phone talks on June 5, Xi invited Trump to visit China again, for which the U.S. president expressed heartfelt appreciation, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Trump, who last visited in 2017, said he reciprocated the invitation. Even if Trump himself is eager to travel to China, Beijing believes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known as a longtime China hawk, and many other senior U.S. officials may oppose the president's attendance at the military parade, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is reluctant to have Xi visit the United States, concerned about a Xi-Trump version of the Oval Office meeting in February where Trump publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the sources said. It is considering having Premier Li Qiang attend the U.N. meeting instead. The United Nations marks the 80th anniversary of its founding this year. A Chinese source suggested Beijing aims to set up the first Sino-U.S. summit talks since the start of the second Trump administration on Chinese soil so it can limit press coverage and engineer a "successful" summit. China and the United States, which have been engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war, agreed to lower trade tensions by establishing a 90-day truce in May, with the two countries committed to backing away from their respective triple-digit tariffs. But tensions remain over such issues as Beijing's slow removal of export controls on critical rare-earth minerals used in high-tech products and Washington's policy to "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students, specifically those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in sensitive fields. China has staged large-scale military parades in the Tiananmen Square. In 2019, a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Communist rule showcased the country's state-of-the-art weapons including a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile believed capable of hitting almost anywhere in the United States. In 2015, Putin and then South Korean President Park Geun Hye were among the foreign leaders who observed a military parade in Tiananmen to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Related coverage: China to hold military parade Sept. 3 for 80th anniv. of end of WWII
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Japan tariff negotiator in Washington holds talks twice with Lutnick
KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 12:39 | All, Japan, World Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick by phone twice on Saturday, an official said, as they try to iron out some of the most difficult issues in pursuit of a deal that will be beneficial to both countries. Akazawa, who has extended his stay in Washington, spoke to Lutnick for about 15 minutes in the morning and about 20 minutes in the evening, the Japanese government said, adding Tokyo will continue to work "strenuously" with Washington toward an agreement. Akazawa's calls with Lutnick came a day after they held a meeting that lasted about an hour, with sharp differences apparently remaining over U.S. President Donald Trump's hefty tariffs on foreign-made cars and auto parts. In the ongoing negotiations, Japan has placed top priority on mitigating the impact of the Trump administration's increase in April of the tariff on imported automobiles to 27.5 percent from 2.5 percent. Trump and his trade team have shown no signs of scrapping or lowering such sector-based tariffs, including on steel and aluminum, that the president has imposed on national security grounds. Akazawa arrived in Washington on Thursday for his seventh round of ministerial meetings on tariffs with U.S. Cabinet members. Akazawa, Japan's minister for economic revitalization, was initially due to leave for Tokyo on Saturday, but he extended his visit to explore a separate meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The official said it remains unclear how long Akazawa will stay in the U.S. capital. Related coverage: Japan wrestling with U.S. tariff talks as July deadline looms Trump could extend 90-day tariff pause in July, White House says Japan reiterates that higher U.S. auto tariffs are unacceptable
4 hours ago
Ishiba Cautious about Expanding Ruling Coalition
Tokyo, June 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday sounded cautious about expanding the ruling coalition between his Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. "A coalition should be formed after a certain level of agreement is reached on diplomacy, security and public finances," Ishiba said in a speech ahead of Thursday's start of the official campaign period for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. At a conference hosted by a private policy proposal group, Ishiba also expressed support for the idea of establishing a nonpartisan consultative body on social security reform. On measures against persisting inflation, he stated, "What is needed now is immediate effects," reiterating the need to provide a cash benefit of 20,000 to 40,000 yen per citizen, included in his party's election pledges. "We must secure financial resources for medical care, elderly care and pensions," he said, indicating a negative view about opposition proposals for lowering the consumption tax. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
