Okinawa marked 75 years since the end of the Battle of Okinawa on June 23, commemorating the victims of the fierce ground battle in which many residents lost their lives in the final stages of the Pacific War.
A ceremony was held for the annual "Ireinohi" memorial day at the Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman city, where the last of the fighting took place.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, but the organizers of the ceremony, the Okinawan prefectural government and the prefectural assembly drastically scaled back the size of the ceremony to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other relevant ministers were not invited for the same reason.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, municipal mayors and representatives of the bereaved families in the prefecture attended the ceremony. In previous years, about 5,000 people had attended, but this year the number was reduced to about 2,000 and guests were asked to remain about two meters apart.
Tamaki expressed his determination to pass on the lessons of the Battle of Okinawa to the next generation and contribute to international peace in a peace declaration.
Abe has indicated in a video that he will do his best to reduce the burden of U.S. bases on Okinawa Prefecture.
In addition, to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue and Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. undersecretary general and high representative for disarmament affairs, sent video messages to share their hopes for peace.
The Cornerstone of Peace, engraved with the names of those who died in the Battle of Okinawa and other battles, is now engraved with 30 new names, bringing the total number to 241,593.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
