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'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."
