A memorial ceremony was held in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday for more than 200,000 people who lost their lives in a fierce ground battle in Okinawa Prefecture’s southernmost prefecture 79 years ago near the end of World War II.
During the memorial service, sponsored by the Okinawa Prefectural Government and held at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City’s Mabuni District, participants observed a moment of silence to honor the war victims and renewed their pledge for peace. Mabuni was the last bloody battle during the Battle of Okinawa, in which countless civilians were killed.
Later in the ceremony, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki read a declaration of peace and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave a speech.
Yusuke Nakama, an 18-year-old high school student, recited a poem about peace, expressing his determination to continue praying for peace at a time when wars continue in various parts of the world.
On June 23, 1945, organized fighting during the Battle of Okinawa, the fiercest engagement on Japanese territory during World War II, reportedly ended with the suicide in Mabuni of the local commander of the now defunct Japanese Imperial Army.
The Cornerstone of Peace, a monument in the park in Itoman, has had the names of 181 war victims re-inscribed this year, bringing the total to 242,225.
