Latest news with #Tsushima-maru
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Emperor, Empress, Princess Aiko Commemorate Victims of World War II Sinking; Nearly 1,500 Lost in Attack on Evacuation Ship
The Yomiuri Shimbun From left, the Emperor, the Empress and their daughter Princess Aiko offer flowers at the memorial for victims of the sinking of the Tsushima-maru evacuation ship, on Thursday in Naha. NAHA — The Emperor, the Empress and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the memorial for the Tsushima-maru, an evacuation ship carrying hundreds of children that was sunk by a U.S. submarine during World War II, in Naha on Thursday. It was the second day of their visit to Okinawa Prefecture, made as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. The family approached the Kozakura no To memorial at about 10:30 a.m. and bowed deeply. They presented white flowers, including easter lilies. They also looked around the exhibits, including photographs and personal belongings of the deceased, at the adjacent Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum. The Tsushima-maru sank off Akusekijima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture due to a torpedo attack by a U.S. submarine, as it was heading toward Nagasaki Prefecture in August 1944. According to the museum, 1,484 of the 1,788 people aboard died. The deaths included 784 students. The Emperor and the Empress on Wednesday evening released their thoughts on the first day of their visit, including the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. They conveyed through an aide that they would remember the victims of the Battle of Okinawa and the people who were forced to endure hardships caused by the war. The Imperial couple also said they 'want to carry the value of peace in our hearts and renew our resolve for peace.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Imperial Family to Visit Okinawa Pref. in June; Princess Aiko to Join Emperor, Empress in Her 1st Visit to the Prefecture
The Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Emperor, the Empress and their daughter Princess Aiko stand in front of a painting at the National Museum of Western Art in Taito Ward, Tokyo, in January. The Emperor, the Empress and their daughter Princess Aiko will visit Okinawa Prefecture from June 4 to 5 in the year of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Imperial Household Agency and the prefecture announced on Wednesday. The visit will be Princess Aiko's first trip to the prefecture, and will be the first time in nine years for the Imperial family to jointly carry out public duties away from Tokyo since August 2016, when they visited Nagano Prefecture to attend a Mountain Day ceremony. The Imperial family are scheduled to offer flowers at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum in the prefectural city of Itoman on June 4. The next day, they will visit the memorial monument for the victims aboard Tsushima-maru, a ship carrying schoolchildren fleeing from Okinawa Prefecture during the war, which was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine off Kagoshima Prefecture. According to the Okinawa prefectural government, the Imperial visit was proposed by prefecture. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki will accompany the Imperial family for the entire trip. This will be the second visit to the prefecture by the Emperor and the Empress since their enthronement, and their first visit since October 2022 when they attended the National Cultural Festival and other events.
