Latest news with #CornerstoneofPeace
UPI
5 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
In remembering Japan's final WWII battle, Okinawans reflect on peace
1 of 3 | A bereaved family prays for war victims on Monday at Japan's Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa-Prefecture. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo June 23 (UPI) -- More than 4,000 people on Monday filled an Okinawa park to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's final WWII battle, while citizens reflected over long-lost loved ones and a promise by a Japanese leader to "visibly reduce the burden of U.S. bases" on Okinawa. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki were in Itoman to attend ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park for "Irei No Hi," known as memorial day, to remember the bloody Battle of Okinawa in which more than 240,000 soldiers and civilians died during or after battle during the last world war. "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," Ishiba said as fear today seems to be heightening over international conflict following U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Other attendees of the commemoration included a representative of the 2024 Nobel Peace Price-winning Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers, Shigemitsu Tanaka, in addition to the United Nations' undersecretary general and high representative for disarmament affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu. Tamaki asked the audience to remember the battle's lessons and think over how to "break down the absurd current situation and bring lasting peace to the world." American and Japanese officials offered remarks of peace during separate ceremonies in scorching heat, during which an additional 342 names were added to the vast park's Cornerstone of Peace monument on Mabuni Hill, where the battle's final ground stage was fought on the main island of Japan's southern prefecture. The addition now brings to 242,567 the total inscribed names of Japanese and other foreign soldiers who died in the Battle of Okinawa from April to June 22, 1945. "We now have potential adversaries who seek to disrupt that and who seek to change the status quo of peace that is here," Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said earlier Monday as he spoke to roughly 50 U.S. Marine in front of the American part of the Cornerstone of Peace. "It's incredibly important that the U.S.-Japan alliance see through that and be reinforced and continue to grow," Turner said while praising the alliance and maintenance of regional Indo-Pacific peace for 80 years. During the ceremonies, Okinawa's Tamaki said the mission among those living in the present was to "preserve and pass on" the memories. On Monday, Okinawans dressed in black, lit incense and laid out food and flower offerings by the names of deceased loved ones as committals were made to pass on lessons of history. "Perhaps I won't be able to come next year," said 89-year-old Asako Idogawa, who repeatedly traced the wall's inscribed name of her elder brother who was burned by a U.S. flamethrower. She added that "war is cruel." Ishiba asked the crowd to reflect on "the stupidity and tragedy of war" before a protestor was removed after yelling, "Don't turn Okinawa into a battlefield!" In recent years, the Japanese government has taken steps to strengthen the nation's defense capabilities on its island province with growing tension with China over independent Taiwan and disputes about the nearby group of uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu. These are among the fears by Okinawan residents that their homes could again bear witness to war. The devastating Okinawa battle left a lingering effect on the local population, which saw one in four residents killed. The battle was followed by reported cases of civilian abuse and forced suicides at the hands of Japan's imperial military, as well. Okinawa, under U.S. control until 1972 after Japan's military defeat nearly 30 years prior, has remained host to troves of U.S. military base installations and long-existing resentments by local residents over noise, pollution and further anger over the recent disclosure of multiple alleged cases of sexual assault by U.S. troops. On Monday, the Liberal Democratic Party prime minister pledged his "deep-held resolve" to "visibly" reduce the long-existing "burden" of America's military presence on the island prefecture. Okinawa, Ishiba stated, "continues to shoulder an outsized burden." Tamaki also spoke of the "heavy" U.S. military "burden" of bases on Okinawa and spoke in protest over the ongoing construction of a new Camp Schwab airfield to replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. "It is possible to suspend operations at Futenma without relocating it to Henoko," the Okinawa governor said after the event in a news conference, characterizing it as a "false solution" and called on the United States and Japan to collaborate in order find a better alternative. Japan marks 80th anniversary of Battle of Okinawa Worshippers pray after the memorial service for those that died in the Battle of Okinawa at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa, in Japan on June 23, 2025. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
The Mainichi
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
'Hate war, not people': Cornerstone of Peace monument in Okinawa marks 30th anniversary
NAHA -- This Okinawa Memorial Day, June 23, marks the 30th anniversary since the "Cornerstone of Peace" monument was erected in the city of Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, with the names of more than 240,000 war dead, both Japanese and Americans, inscribed on it. On June 23, the prefecture observed the day of remembrance for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa during the final stages of World War II. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the ground battles waged in 1945 between Japanese and American forces, which claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 people, including residents. The Cornerstone of Peace commemorates the names of all war dead regardless of nationality or affiliation. Choko Takayama, 90, a Naha resident who was involved in the monument's creation in 1995 as a senior prefectural official, reflected, "In just three months, the lives of these many people were lost. This monument is a testament to their existence." The Battle of Okinawa intensified after U.S. forces landed on the central part of Okinawa's main island on April 1, 1945, continuing combat until the organized resistance of the Japanese forces ended in late June. Takayama, who was 10 years old at the time, lived in the town of Motobu in the northern part of the island. The advancing U.S. forces unleashed heavy attacks on the north. As his family fled after Japanese military units, they witnessed the grim sights of fallen people and military horses. "It was tragic and cruel," he recalled. While taking shelter from the rain under a house's eaves, Takayama saw two men carry away a boy soldier, who was severely injured and groaning. The boy pleaded, "Please don't throw me away." His voice still lingers in Takayama's memory. The late Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota proceeded with the erection of the Cornerstone of Peace as part of a project commemorating 50 years since the war's end. He had also experienced the battlefield as a student mobilized in the "Blood and Iron Student Corps." The monument was designed to inscribe the names of all victims, regardless of nationality or whether they were military or civilian. Takayama explained, "Okinawa has a peace philosophy established over the course of its long history: Hate war, not people. This is what Mr. Ota called 'the heart of Okinawa.'" Ota passed away in 2017 at the age of 92. The project to establish the monument began in earnest in 1992. Officials conducted surveys to identify all the war dead to be inscribed, with cooperation from municipalities in the prefecture and Battle of Okinawa survivors. To include the names of deceased American soldiers, Gov. Ota and Takayama, then the head of the governor's office, visited the U.S. Department of Defense to request a list of names. Coordination and verification continued until just before the completion of the monument. On the unveiling day, June 23, 1995, many prefectural residents and others gathered at the monument, shedding tears upon seeing the inscribed names and tracing them. There are still many people whose locations of death during the Battle of Okinawa are unknown as their remains have never been found. Takayama contemplated, "The wandering souls of the victims may have found their way back here upon seeing their names on the Cornerstone of Peace." Thirty years since its installation, the monument added the names of 342 newly identified victims, including those from the United States, bringing the total inscriptions to 242,567. Some names remain unknown, marked as "Child of XX" or "Eldest son of XX." Takayama asserted, "The Cornerstone of Peace vividly tells the story of how tragic and brutal the Battle of Okinawa was." Conflicts are continuing to erupt worldwide. On the morning of June 23 this year, many people were seen visiting the Cornerstone of Peace to mourn family members and others lost to the war. Takayama noted, "I hope more people will know about this place as a symbol of peace with the aim of achieving a society without war."
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- General
- Toronto Star
Okinawa marks 80 years since end of one of harshest WWII battles with pledge to share tragic history
A bereaved person prays in front of the Cornerstone of Peace at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa prefecture, southern Japan Monday, June 23, 2025 as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa. (Haruna Furuhashi/Kyodo News via AP) flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
6 days 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
6 days 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.
