4 days ago
JAL Crash Victims Mourned on 40th Anniversary of Accident in Japan; Advancing Age Prevents Some Relatives From Traveling to Site
UENO, Gunma — Carrying memories of their loved ones in their hearts, bereaved relatives and others climbed on Tuesday to the site where a Japan Airlines jumbo jet crashed in 1985, killing 520 passengers and crew.
In front of the 'Shokon no Hi' monument to the victims on Osutaka Ridge in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, mourners released balloons and blew soap bubbles in memory of the victims and sounded the 'Bell of Safety.'
Advancing age has prevented some bereaved family members from visiting the ridge for memorial services, and some have said this year's 40th anniversary will be their final climb.
'I might not come again,' said Yutaka Ochi, 66, from Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. He spoke softly at the grave marker for the victims, who include his sister Yoshiko, while pouring her favorite Hennessy brandy over the site. Yoshiko was 28 at the time of her to a knee injury, Ochi intends to make this year's climb his last.
The eldest of three siblings, Yoshiko dreamed of living overseas and studied English by listening to late-night radio programs. When she was a high school student, she received support from the Rotary Club to go to the United States.
She persuaded her parents, who opposed the idea, and spent a year at a high school in Massachusetts. After graduating from the University of Arizona, she worked for a fashion-related company in New York.
Ochi was proud of his older sister, who had paved her own way in life.
In the spring of 1985, Yoshiko returned to Japan when she got a new job at an apparel company. In July 1985, she attended Ochi's wedding and toured every table to greet guests.
'She's a show-off but cool. That's just like my sister,' he said proudly.
Yoshiko was on her way to the company's headquarters in Kobe, after finishing her work in Tokyo, when she was killed in the accident, one month after the wedding.
About two weeks later, part of a jaw was confirmed to be Yoshiko's. Ochi carried his sister — 'small enough to fit in the palm of my hand' — back home.
'She must have had dreams she wanted to pursue,' he said with deep regret.
Ochi climbed to the accident site for his father, who died in 2009 and had urged him, 'Go to Yoshiko's place.' However, his knees no longer behave the way he wants.
'Each of the 520 people had their own dreams. An accident like this must never happen again,' Ochi said.
