Ishiba decries civilian deaths at Okinawa memorial for slain nurses
ITOMAN, Okinawa Prefecture—In a rare move, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited the Himeyuri-no-to memorial here on June 23 as part of events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa.
He is the first sitting prime minister in 30 years to visit the memorial on the anniversary day since Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama did so in 1995.
But Ishiba's visit follows another highly unusual move by ruling party lawmaker Shoji Nishida to denigrate the Himeyuri-no-to memorial, which commemorates 227 people, mainly student nurses, who were killed in the battle.
Nishida said the memorial was 'terrible' and distorted history.
Ishiba was asked by a reporter if he visited the facility because of Nishida's offensive remarks, but the prime minister did not mention the lawmaker by name.
However, a source close to Ishiba said, 'After the issue with Nishida, (Ishiba) could not avoid visiting the Himeyuri-no-to memorial.'
Ishiba stopped by at the site after attending a ceremony memorializing victims of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.
He placed flowers on the altar and held a silent prayer for about five seconds, bowing his head in respect.
He also visited the adjacent Himeyuri Peace Museum, which exhibits video testimonies and photos to convey the realities of the Battle of Okinawa and the state of education that sent students to the battlefield.
'I really wanted to be here,' Ishiba told reporters. 'The desire that there should be no more wars and the tragedy of war … I have come here with the thought that I must engrave them on my heart once again.'
The Himeyuri (star lily) Student Corps, consisting of girls from two schools in Okinawa Prefecture, were mobilized as nursing personnel for the bloodiest battle of the Pacific theater of World War II.
Nishida, an Upper House member of the Liberal Democratic Party, made the disparaging remarks about the Himeyuri memorial at a symposium held in the Okinawa prefectural capital of Naha in May.
Behind his remarks were his claims that education in Okinawa Prefecture has distorted history, such as portraying U.S. troops as liberators.
Nishida was harshly criticized, especially by those who survived the battle, as 'not understanding the reality of the situation.'
The Okinawa prefectural assembly passed a protest resolution demanding an apology and a retraction.
Opposition parties and also members of the LDP joined in the criticism.
Ishiba stated in the Diet that he and Nishida have different understandings about the battle. The prime minister also apologized as the head of the LDP to Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki.
Nishida himself apologized and partially retracted his remarks about the Himeyuri memorial, but local anger has not abated.
By visiting the site himself, Ishiba wanted to clearly demonstrate once again that he was not in agreement with Nishida's remarks, sources said.
'The lesson that civilians should never be placed on the battlefield must continue to be taught,' Ishiba said.
More than 200,000 people from both the Japanese and U.S. sides, including tens of thousands of civilians, died in the Battle of Okinawa.
The island prefecture today continues to host around 70 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan. Residents have long complained about the noise, accidents and crimes stemming from U.S. bases.
The prefecture is demanding revisions of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which critics say is 'unequal,' particularly concerning accidents and crimes involving U.S. military personnel.
'We have to seriously tackle this issue,' Ishiba said on June 23. 'I would like to compare and contrast (agreements) in other countries and promote discussions in the entire political arena.'
Regarding the relocation of the U.S. Futenma Air Station in Ginowan in Okinawa Prefecture to the Henoko district in Nago, also in the prefecture, Ishiba has set up a forum for direct discussions with Ginowan city officials.
By doing so, he has made clear he will push ahead with the relocation project without the prefecture, which opposes it.
(This article was written by Kae Kawashima, Kazuyuki Ito and Kazuki Uechi.)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
11 minutes ago
- The Mainichi
Residents accused of 'spying' for US military killed on Okinawa island even after WWII's end
KUMEJIMA, Okinawa -- Even after the radio broadcast of then Emperor Hirohito (posthumously known as Emperor Showa) announcing the end of World War II in Japan in the summer of 1945, tragedies continued on Kume Island, about 100 kilometers west of Okinawa's main island. On Aug. 18, 1945, three days after the nationwide broadcast, a man was killed along with his wife and child after he called for residents to surrender. On Aug. 20, a family of seven headed by a Korean man were brutally murdered. Five of them were children including an infant. The assailants were a Japanese military unit led by Tadashi Kayama. In Okinawa, where a ground battle between Japanese and U.S. forces took place, organizational combat had come to an end in late June following the suicide of a Japanese military commander. The Kayama unit, however, did not surrender to the U.S. military, and around 30 soldiers hid themselves on Mount Uegusuku. After U.S. troops landed on Kume Island on June 26, the Kayama unit killed residents one after the other who had connections with the U.S. military. A man who brought a document believed to be a surrender notice to the unit at the request of U.S. forces was executed by the unit leader. A total of nine locals -- including at least one resident who was temporarily captured by the U.S. military and their family members -- were labeled as "spies" and killed. "The Japanese military was even scarier," one resident recounted, while another said, "If you talked to Americans, it became such a big deal. They (the Japanese military) would instantly accuse you of spying," according to testimonies recorded in the town history of Kumejima. The Kayama unit, which locals feared as "mountain troops," surrendered on Sept. 7. By that time, the lives of 20 local residents had been claimed.
Japan Times
27 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Ishiba says Japan considering role in security guarantees for Ukraine
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that Tokyo is considering playing a role in security guarantees being offered to Kyiv by a coalition of nations as peace talks with Russia to end its war in Ukraine gain steam. 'We'll watch the ongoing discussions closely, and while carefully considering what Japan can and should do — including various legal and capability aspects — we'll play an appropriate role,' Ishiba told reporters. Ishiba, who spoke hours after U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders met at the White House in Washington for peace talks, characterized the growing momentum as 'very meaningful.' But the prime minister, singling out Russia for killing civilians in Ukraine, also appeared to tamp down expectations of the type of quick peace deal being sought by Trump. 'Achieving a fair peace is an extremely difficult task that will take time,' Ishiba said. Earlier, NATO chief Mark Rutte said that the 'coalition of the willing,' which groups 30 nations backing Ukraine, had been working for months to craft a comprehensive package of security guarantees to deter Russian leader Vladimir Putin from an attempt to re-invade his neighbor under any hypothetical peace deal. 'Over the last couple of months ... a group of now 30 countries, including Japan and Australia, are working on this concept of security guarantees,' Rutte told Fox News on Monday after taking part in the talks in Washington. Japan joined the grouping in March. Tokyo has been watching the flurry of diplomacy nervously, with the precedent set by any hasty peace deal likely to have broad ramifications for Japan and Asia. Tokyo has been a strong proponent of maintaining the rules-based global order while condemning unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force — a stance widely seen as aimed at China, albeit obliquely. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stoked concern in Japan that military powerhouse China — with its eye on democratic Taiwan — could take a page from Moscow's playbook and invade the island that it claims as its own. On Monday, Ishiba said that in addressing the war, leaders must "ensure that it does not undermine global security and the international order, including that of the Indo-Pacific region.' Japan in June last year became the first non-NATO country to ink a security accord with Ukraine, signing a 10-year deal that promised continued humanitarian and nonlethal aid, and bolstered support for the war-torn country's reconstruction. One of the biggest surprises to come out of Monday's meeting in Washington was Trump's pitch of a one-on-one summit between Zelenskyy and Putin that would be followed by a trilateral gathering involving all three. Although it remains unclear if those meetings will materialize, Zelenskyy also secured a key goal in winning Trump's commitment to the U.S. participating in security guarantees as part of any peace deal, while reserving discussion of territorial exchanges for any direct talks with Putin. Rutte said that while the grouping needed more time to discuss the details of the security guarantees, 'for Ukraine to consider what to do next when it comes to territory, it is important to also know what the situation will be with the security guarantees to prevent Vladimir Putin from ever trying again to invade parts of Ukraine.'
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
Japan to consider role in security guarantees provided to Ukraine: Ishiba
President Donald Trump speaks as France's President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, foreground right, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, foreground left, and from background right, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles listen during a meeting with European leaders in the East Room of the White House on Monday. Japan will consider what role it will play in providing security guarantees to Ukraine by assessing its legal and capability constraints, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday, as U.S.-led talks to end Russia's war on its neighbor continue. Ishiba made the remark after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told a U.S. television network that Japan is among some 30 nations that have been collaborating on ways to potentially provide security guarantees to Ukraine to deter any future Russian aggression. "We will play our role appropriately by considering what we can and should do within our legal framework and capabilities," Ishiba told reporters at his office. "At this point, we cannot say specifically what we are going to do." Japan's war-renouncing Constitution only permits the use of force for its own self-defense, putting restrictions on what the country can do overseas. Its Self-Defense Forces have engaged in peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions abroad. Ishiba praised U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine by holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as European leaders who threw support behind him on Monday. Trump wants to have a three-way meeting with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "What is important is to achieve an early cease-fire and a just peace," Ishiba said, underscoring the need to stop innocent Ukrainian and Russian people from falling victim to the war. © KYODO
