Latest news with #BattleofOkinawa
Sinar Daily
a day ago
- General
- Sinar Daily
Bone collectors: Searching for WWII remains in Okinawa
ITOMAN - Trekking through mud and rocks in Japan's humid Okinawan jungle, Takamatsu Gushiken reached a slope of ground where human remains have lain forgotten since World War II. The 72-year-old said a brief prayer and lifted a makeshift protective covering, exposing half-buried bones believed to be those of a young Japanese soldier. This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows Takamatsu Gushiken, a volunteer who recovers the remains of war dead to be reunited with their families, holding the personal effects of those who died in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II, at his office in Ginowan city, Okinawa Prefecture. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) "These remains have the right to be returned to their families," said Gushiken, a businessman who has voluntarily searched for the war dead for more than four decades. The sun-kissed island in southern Japan on Monday marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa. The three-month carnage, often dubbed the "Typhoon of Steel", killed about 200,000 people, almost half of them local civilians. Since then, Japan and the United States have become allies, and, according to official estimates, only 2,600 bodies are yet to be recovered. But residents and long-time volunteers like Gushiken say many more are buried under buildings or farm fields, or hidden in jungles and caves. Now rocks and soil from southern parts of Okinawa Island, where the bloodiest fighting took place, are being quarried in order to build the foundations for a new US air base. The plan has sparked anger among Gushiken and others, who say it will disturb the remains of World War II casualties, likely killed by Americans. And while Okinawa is a popular beach getaway these days, its lush jungles have preserved the scars of combat from March to June 1945, when the US military stormed ashore to advance its final assaults on Imperial Japan. Full skeleton Walking through meandering forest trails in Itoman district, on the southern end of Okinawa, Gushiken imagined where he would have hidden as a local or a soldier under attack, or where he may have searched if he were an American soldier. After climbing over moss-covered rocks on a narrow, leafy trail, Gushiken reached a low-lying crevice between bus-size boulders, only big enough to shelter two or three people. He carefully shifted through the soil strewn with fragmented bones, shirt buttons used by Japanese soldiers, a rusty lid for canned food, and a metal fitting for a gas mask. At another spot nearby, he and an associate in April found a full skeleton of a possible soldier who appeared to have suffered a blast wound to his face. And only a few steps from there, green-coloured thigh and shin bones of another person laid among the dried leaves, fallen branches and vines. "All these people here... their final words were 'mom, mom'," Gushiken said, arguing that society has a responsibility to bring the remains to family tombs. Gushiken was a 28-year-old scout leader when he was first asked to help search for the war dead, and was shocked to realise there were so many people's remains, in such a vast area. He didn't think he could bring himself to do it again, but over time he decided he should do his part to reunite family members in death. This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows Takamatsu Gushiken, a volunteer who recovers the remains of war dead to be reunited with their families, speaking during an interview with AFP at his office in Ginowan city, Okinawa Prefecture. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) 'Every last one' After the war ended, survivors in Okinawa who had been held captive by US forces returned to their wrecked hometowns. As they desperately tried to restart their lives, the survivors collected dead bodies in mass graves, or buried them individually with no record of their identity. "They saw their communities completely burned. People couldn't tell where their houses were. Bodies dangled from tree branches," said Mitsuru Matsukawa, 72, from a foundation that helps manage Okinawa Peace Memorial Park. The site includes a national collective cemetery for war dead. Some young people have joined the efforts to recover remains, like Wataru Ishiyama, a university student in Kyoto who travels often to Okinawa. The 22-year-old history major is a member of Japan Youth Memorial Association, a group focused on recovering Japanese war remains at home and abroad. "These people have been waiting in such dark and remote areas for so many decades, so I want to return them to their families -- every last one," he said. Ishiyama's volunteering has inspired an interest in modern Japan's "national defence and security issues", he said, adding that he was considering a military-related career. The new US air base is being built on partly reclaimed land in Okinawa's north, while its construction material is being excavated in the south. "It is a sacrilege to the war dead to dump the land that has absorbed their blood into the sea to build a new military base," Gushiken said. Jungle areas that may contain World War II remains should be preserved for their historic significance and serve as peace memorials to remind the world of the atrocity of war, he told AFP. "We are now in a generation when fewer and fewer people can recall the Battle of Okinawa," Gushiken added. "Now, only bones, the fields and various discovered items will remain to carry on the memories." - AFP
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
"Spend on rice, not missiles": Japanese call for peace on battle anniversary
ITOMAN, Japan, June 25 (Xinhua) -- "Money should be spent on rice, not missiles," Kunio Aragaki, an Okinawan resident, told Xinhua on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa. Japanese citizens have gathered here to memorize the war dead and voice strong opposition to the government's growing defense spending and military buildup. Up to 80 years after the war in which about one-quarter of Okinawa's population died, the region continues to sit at the forefront of Japan's intensified security posture, bearing the heavy burden of hosting U.S. military bases. During memorial events held in recent days, Japanese citizens urged the government to reflect on its security policies and avoid repeating the mistakes of war. On Monday, a memorial ceremony was held at the Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman City. Visitors from across Japan gathered before stone monuments etched with the names of the dead to mourn loved ones and pray for peace. Chihiro Yoshinaga, a local Okinawan, came with his son to honor his great-grandfather, a schoolteacher killed during the battle. "I want my child to know how horrifying that war was. What matters most is never forgetting what happened," he told reporters. At a separate ceremony the night before, Tomoko Nishizaki from Okayama Prefecture shared that her father-in-law died in the battle, and the pain it caused to the family remains. "We've been coming here for decades, I truly pray for peace," she said. While remembering the past, many residents are alarmed by the Japanese government's recent moves that they believe risk turning Okinawa into a front line once again. Japan has significantly increased its defense spending in recent years. In late 2022, it passed new national security policies, aiming to raise defense expenditures to around 43 trillion yen (about 296 billion U.S. dollars) between fiscal years 2023 and 2027, equivalent to 2 percent of GDP by 2027. "This is very dangerous. Expanding the defense budget and military buildup will only cause concern among neighboring countries," said Okinawan resident Takamatsu Gushiken. "Peace should not be maintained through force, but through dialogue and diplomacy with our neighbors." Gushiken also voiced concern over Japan's growing military presence in the southwest. "Self-Defense Force bases in Okinawa keep expanding. It's a dangerous trend, and it needs to stop." In the Peace Memorial Park, resident Kunio Aragaki organized a sticker poll asking people whether they supported the deployment of long-range missiles in Okinawa. The response was overwhelmingly negative. "As you can see, nearly everyone here opposes it. We are completely against military buildup in the southwest," he told Xinhua. Aragaki added that the continued expansion of the defense budget is misguided. "That money should be spent on rice, not missiles. Rice prices have been soaring recently," he said. Remembering history, citizens stressed, is essential to avoiding future conflict. "We need to think about why the country once went to war," Gushiken said. "And when we reflect on that, we must not only look from our own perspective, but also consider the viewpoint of others. If we don't, our understanding of history is incomplete." "We must never forget the harm we've caused to others," he added.
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Japanese court convicts a U.S. Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison
TOKYO — A Japanese court said Wednesday it had found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, in a case that has triggered anger and safety concerns on Japan's southern island, which has a heavy American troop presence. The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison in the case. Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the village of Yomitan on the main Okinawa island in May 2024, chocking her from behind, sexually assaulting her and causing her injuries. In sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata said the victim's testimony, provided remotely and anonymously, was highly credible even though the defendant denied the charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10 years in prison, according to Kyodo News. It was one of a string of sexual assault cases last year in which the arrests of the suspects were initially withheld by local authorities on grounds of protecting the victims' privacy, triggering anger and accusations of cover-ups. Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was fought 80 years ago and which was under U.S. occupation until 1972, remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Frustration runs high on Okinawa because of its continued burden with the heavy U.S. presence that includes noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who attended Monday's 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, raised concerns about recent sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members when he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, requesting discipline and preventive measures. There have been growing calls for a revision to the Status of Forces Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate most accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a statement showing that Japanese prosecutors had dropped criminal cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the decade from 2014 to 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in 2020.
3 days ago
- Politics
Japanese court convicts US Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years
TOKYO -- A Japanese court said Wednesday it has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, in a case that has triggered anger and safety concerns on Japan's southern island, which has a heavy American troop presence. The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison in the case. Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the Yomitan village on the main Okinawa island in May, 2024, chocking her from behind, sexually assaulting her and causing her injuries. In sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata said the victim's testimony, provided remotely and anonymously, was highly credible even though the defendant denied his charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10 years in prison, according to Kyodo News. It was one of a string of sexual assault cases last year in which the arrests of the suspects were initially withheld by local authorities on grounds of protecting the victims' privacy, triggering anger and criticisms of coverups. Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was fought 80 years ago and under U.S. occupation until 1972, remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Frustration runs high on Okinawa because of its continued burden with the heavy U.S. presence that includes noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who attended Monday's 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, raised concerns about recent sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members when he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, requesting discipline and preventive measures. There has been growing calls for a revision to the Status of Forces Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate most accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a statement showing that the Japanese prosecutors dropped criminal cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the last decade between 2014 and 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in 2020.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Japanese court convicts a US Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court said Wednesday it has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, in a case that has triggered anger and safety concerns on Japan's southern island, which has a heavy American troop presence. The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison in the case. Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the Yomitan village on the main Okinawa island in May, 2024, chocking her from behind, sexually assaulting her and causing her injuries. In sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata said the victim's testimony, provided remotely and anonymously, was highly credible even though the defendant denied his charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10 years in prison, according to Kyodo News. It was one of a string of sexual assault cases last year in which the arrests of the suspects were initially withheld by local authorities on grounds of protecting the victims' privacy, triggering anger and criticisms of coverups. Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was fought 80 years ago and under U.S. occupation until 1972, remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Frustration runs high on Okinawa because of its continued burden with the heavy U.S. presence that includes noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who attended Monday's 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, raised concerns about recent sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members when he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, requesting discipline and preventive measures. There has been growing calls for a revision to the Status of Forces Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate most accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a statement showing that the Japanese prosecutors dropped criminal cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the last decade between 2014 and 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in 2020.
