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NHK
5 days ago
- General
- NHK
Japan's Imperial family pay respects at Tsushima Maru monument in Okinawa
Japan's Emperor and Empress and their daughter have paid their respects to the victims of a ship that sank in a US attack while evacuating hundreds of children from Okinawa during World War Two. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko began their trip to the southwestern prefecture on Wednesday to offer their condolences to the war dead. This year marks 80 years since a fierce ground battle in the prefecture toward the end of the war. On Thursday, the Imperial family offered flowers at the monument in Naha City dedicated to victims of the August 1944 attack on the vessel that was making its way to Kyushu. Close to 1,500 people were killed, including at least over 780 school children. The family also visited the Tsushima-Maru Memorial Museum and were guided by the head of the facility. Among the items on display are photographs of more than 400 victims, including children and their teachers, along with belongings such as pencil cases. They spoke with survivors and families of the victims, including Takara Masakatsu, who survived the attack but lost nine family members. The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita -- Emperor Naruhito's parents-- visited the monument and museum in 2014, a year before the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. Later on Thursday, the Imperial family will visit an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the Ocean Expo, which was held to mark the return of Okinawa to Japanese rule from the United States in 1972. They will also inspect the reconstruction work at Shuri Castle, a prefectural landmark that was destroyed in a fire six years ago. On Wednesday, the Imperial family visited Itoman City, the site of the final battle in Okinawa. They spoke with survivors, bereaved family members and young people working to pass on memories of the war.
NHK
26-05-2025
- NHK
Okinawa police arrest US Marine allegedly involved in hit-and-run accident
Police officers in Okinawa have arrested a US Marine who is believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run accident in the southern Japanese prefecture. The officers say 20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Ivan Garciamartinez is stationed at the Marine Corps' Camp Hansen. They say he was driving a car that collided with another passenger vehicle in Naha City at around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Four people in the passenger car, including a 7-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, sustained minor injuries. Garciamartinez allegedly abandoned the car and fled the scene. The police officers searched for the suspect in nearby areas. They spotted the US serviceman and arrested him about one hour after the accident. The suspect told investigators that he did cause the crash, but he denied some of the allegations. He claimed that he did not fail to provide first-aid. The police officers say the suspect's alcohol level was about double the legal limit. Investigators suspect he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Japan Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.S. military, Okinawa hold 1st safety forum after sex assault cases
Representatives of U.S. forces in Japan and Okinawa authorities held their first meeting Friday under a new forum to discuss joint safety measures, following alleged sexual assault cases involving American service members in the southern island prefecture. In closed-door talks at the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Foster, the U.S. military outlined its existing preventive measures, while both sides agreed to work toward holding a regular joint community patrol, like the one conducted in April in the city of Okinawa, and expanding it to other parts of the prefecture, according to a local government official. The launch of the new dialogue venue, named "Okinawa Community Partnership Forum," was announced in July last year by U.S. Forces Japan, after revelations of alleged sexual assault cases in June sparked renewed safety concerns among locals. Okinawa Prefecture hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, and anti-base sentiment runs deep due to aircraft noise, pollution and crimes committed by American service members. The participants of the first meeting of the new forum included representatives from the Okinawa prefectural government, the city of Okinawa, local police, the U.S. forces on Okinawa and the U.S. Consulate General Naha. Officials from Japan's foreign and defense ministries also took part. The meeting is expected to be held about once a year going forward. Specific assault cases were not discussed in the meeting, according to the local government official. "Establishing an avenue for each organization to propose measures to prevent incidents involving U.S. military is of great significance," Masahito Tamari, director general of the Okinawa governor's office, told reporters after the meeting. The U.S. military said in its statement that the talks "highlighted the importance of ongoing communication and collaboration between USFJ and the Okinawa community." "Both sides reaffirmed their dedication to fostering a positive and mutually beneficial relationship based on trust and respect," it added. © KYODO
NHK
07-05-2025
- General
- NHK
Japan's Imperial family to visit Okinawa next month
Japan's Emperor and Empress, along with their daughter, will visit the southern prefecture of Okinawa early next month to commemorate 80 years since a fierce battle there near the end of World War Two. Many civilians were caught up in ground combat in Okinawa from March through June 1945. More than 200,000 people were killed. The Imperial Household Agency says Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko will begin their two-day trip to the prefecture on June 4. It will be the couple's first visit in two years and seven months, and the princess's first. The family will go to a national cemetery in the city of Itoman, the site of the last brutal fighting in the Battle of Okinawa. They will lay flowers outside a structure that holds the remains of more than 180,000 people. The family will also visit "the Cornerstone of Peace," where the names of those who died in the battle are engraved, and a peace museum. They will also speak with survivors of the battle. The following day, the family will visit a memorial museum in Naha City displaying artifacts linked to the sinking of the Tsushima Maru. The ship was carrying evacuees from Okinawa to Kyushu when it was attacked by US forces in 1944. Nearly 1,500 people, including 780 schoolchildren, were killed. The family will then see an exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ocean Expo 1975, which was organized to mark Okinawa's handover to Japan from the United States in 1972. They will also inspect reconstruction work at Shuri Castle, a prefectural landmark destroyed by a fire six years ago, before heading back to Tokyo.
