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The Independent
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Emperor's visit to Okinawa reflects imperial family's close ties to the island. Here is why he cares
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his family have visited Okinawa to honor the dead ahead of the 80th anniversary of one of the harshest battles of World War II. On what was his seventh visit to Okinawa, Naruhito was joined this week by his wife and daughter for a tour of the southern island and its history. Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, especially cared about Okinawa. On June 23, the island will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, which led to heavy American troop presence on the island, even after the nearly 30 years of U.S. occupation ended in 1972. Here is what to know about Okinawa's history. Fierce battle U.S. troops landed on the main Okinawa island on April 1, 1945, beginning a battle in their push toward mainland Japan. The Battle of Okinawa lasted until late June, killing some 200,000 people — about 12,000 Americans and more than 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians. In all, the island lost about one quarter of its population. In Itoman town, where the battle ended, the remains of most of the war dead reside in an ossuary at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. It was the first place Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako and their 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, visited on Wednesday where they laid a bouquet of white flowers each. Post-war years Okinawa remained under U.S. occupation from 1945 until the 1972 reversion to Japan. The U.S. military maintains a presence there due to Okinawa's strategic importance for security in the Pacific. Private properties were confiscated to build U.S. bases, and the base-dependent economy hampered the growth of local industry. Emperors tried to make a mends Many Okinawans feel they have been sacrificed for the mainland in the war fought in the name of Hirohito, the grandfather of Emperor Naruhito. Bitter feelings were fresh in Okinawa in the 1970s, when many people said the emperor should take responsibility. Akihito, who was almost hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown during his visit to Okinawa as crown prince in 1975, has been a regular visitor. Every year on June 23, Akihito and his family observe a moment of silence for the victims of the battle. It's one of the four key dates he said should never forget, along with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, as well as the Aug. 15 end of the war. Naruhito's empathy for Okinawa Naruhito has pledged to follow in his father's footsteps and repeatedly expressed the importance to reflect on and remember the wartime history. In February, Naruhito stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, promising to help promoting the understanding of history and the determination for peace. He and his family on Wednesday visited the Cornerstone of Peace Memorial, which is engraved with the names of about 250,000 war dead on Itoman's Mabuni Hill. They also visited a permanent war exhibit at the town's Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, where they met the survivors and bereaved families. On Thursday they laid flowers at a monument commemorating about 1,500 people including hundreds of school children killed in a U.S. torpedo attack on their evacuation ship Tsushima Maru on Aug. 1944. They visited a museum dedicated to the tragedy and met with a number of survivors. Naruhito and Masako, in a message released to Japanese media, renewed their pledge to peace and said their daughter deeply took to her heart Okinawan people's history of hardship. Modern problems Okinawa remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Resentment and frustration run deep in Okinawa because of the heavy U.S. presence. The island faces noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops, Denny Tanmaki, the governor of Okinawa, has said. Following a series of alleged sexual assault cases against local women, the U.S. military and local government held a forum in May to discuss ways to improve safety and communication and agreed to regularize their meeting.
Japan Times
11 hours ago
- General
- Japan Times
Imperial family mourns WWII victims in two-day visit to Okinawa
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, on Thursday wrapped up their two-day visit to Okinawa Prefecture to mourn those killed in the Battle of Okinawa 80 years ago during the closing months of World War II. It was Princess Aiko's first visit to Okinawa Prefecture, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation, according to a close aide. On Thursday morning, the family visited a monument in Naha for the victims of the 1944 sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, and laid bouquets of white flowers as they bowed deeply. They later visited the Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum. In August 1944, the Tsushima Maru, carrying about 1,800 people, including schoolchildren and other evacuees from Okinawa, was sunk in a U.S. torpedo attack. According to the operator of the museum, at least 1,484 people were killed in the incident. After arriving at Naha Airport on Wednesday, the imperial family traveled to the city of Itoman, a site of fierce ground battles, and laid flowers at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. The three bowed deeply in front of an ossuary holding remains. At Itoman, the family also visited the Cornerstone of Peace, on which the names of some 240,000 war victims are engraved. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visit a monument for the victims of the 1944 sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship in Naha on Thursday. | Jiji They then viewed a permanent exhibition at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, looking closely at photographs and testimonies from the war. The family also spoke with 10 individuals, including survivors and those who lost family members. The imperial couple offered words of comfort to them and the princess said she felt the importance of peace and of hearing about experiences directly from people in Okinawa. Among the 10 was Rieko Tamaki, 91, from Naha, who lost eight of her 10 family members, including her father, brothers and grandparents, during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Tamaki told the imperial family that she had escaped alone through shellfire and that her father was a military doctor. The imperial family members expressed their sympathy as they listened to the story. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visit the Cornerstone of Peace, on which the names of some 240,000 war victims are engraved, in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday. | pool / via Jiji After the session, Tamaki told reporters, "I have complicated feelings about the emperor's family, but I felt their willingness to learn and understand." In Okinawa, more than 200,000 people were killed in fierce ground battles in the final stages of World War II. It was Emperor Naruhito's seventh visit to Okinawa and his third with Empress Masako. Their last visit took place in October 2022. On Thursday afternoon, the family inspected restoration efforts for the main hall of Shuri Castle, which was destroyed by a fire in 2019, before returning to Tokyo on a special aircraft Thursday night.
NHK
16 hours 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
a day ago
- General
- NHK
Japan's Imperial family prays for souls of war dead in Okinawa
Japan's Emperor and Empress, along with their daughter, have offered condolences to the souls of people who died in the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa during World War Two. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko visited the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum in the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City on Wednesday. This is the couple's second visit to Okinawa since the Emperor ascended the throne, and the first for the Princess. This year marks 80 years since a fierce ground battle took place in the prefecture toward the end of the war. Itoman was the site of the final fighting in the Battle of Okinawa. After arriving at the mausoleum, the Imperial family prayed in front of the charnel house, which holds the remains of more than 180,000 people, and then laid a bouquet of flowers. The three next moved to the Cornerstone of Peace where the names of over 240,000 who died in the battle are engraved. They were briefed about those whose names were newly inscribed this year. The Imperial family then visited the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum where they read accounts of survivors of the battle. At the mausoleum, the Emperor, Empress and Princess spoke to a number of relatives of the war dead. Afterwards, one of them, Arakaki Ikuo said he told the Imperial family that he lost three family members in the battle. He told them that he remembers being held by his grandmother, and that he still grieves over the loss. He said he asked them to help achieve world peace. Arakaki said it was great honor that he was offered words of encouragement by Princess Aiko who wished him good health and prosperity. Another relative, Chinen Yukichi said he told the Imperial family that his father and elder brother died in the war and his mother had become a widow at the age of 36. He said the Imperial family acknowledged the difficulties he experienced, and that he felt encouraged by their words. Chinen said it is difficult to convey the reality of the war to younger people, but he said he will do his best.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Japan's emperor and his family pray in Okinawa for the victims of the island battle 80 years ago
Japan 's Emperor Naruhito and his family prayed on Wednesday in Okinawa for all the war dead in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II that was fought on the southern Japanese island 80 years ago. The commemoration comes as many residents of Okinawa and the nearby islands are increasingly concerned about the possibility of another war as regional tensions with China escalate. Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, cared especially about Okinawa because of its difficult history, setting an example for his son. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, asked their 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, to accompany them on Wednesday's trip in an apparent effort to convey their attention for history on the next generation. It is Aiko's first visit to Okinawa. The three first headed to the island's last battlefield of Itoman and laid white flowers before an ossuary at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum, where the remains of most of the victims are placed. The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945 when the U.S. troops, in their push for mainland Japan, landed on the island. It lasted until late June, killing more than 200,000 people. Nearly half of them were civilian residents of Okinawa, including students and victims of mass suicides ordered by the Japanese military, which waged the war in the name of Naruhito's grandfather, late Emperor Hirohito. On June 23, the island will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, which led to heavy American troop presence on the island, even after the nearly 30 years of U.S. occupation ended in 1972. Naruhito, in his birthday remarks in February, stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace. The imperial family later on Wednesday visited the Cornerstone of Peace memorial, which has the engraved names of about a quarter million war dead on the Mabuni Hill where the battle ended. They also visited a permanent war exhibit at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum and met with the survivors and families of those bereaved in the battle. Wednesday's visit was Naruhito's seventh visit to Okinawa. He last visited in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japan.
