ITOMAN, Okinawa Prefecture Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paid their respects to the victims of the bloodiest battle in the Pacific War in the emperor’s first visit to Okinawa since his accession to the throne in 2019.
Okinawa Memorial Day marks 76 years since Battle of Okinawa
At noon on June 23, participants offer a silent prayer at Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman City.
June 23, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
The memorial service for all war fallen (hosted by the Okinawa prefectural government, prefectural assembly) was held on June 23 at Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman City, which was a battlefield during the late stages of the Battle of Okinawa. During the ceremony, participants reminisced about the more than 200,000 people who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa and prayed for lasting peace. At the noon time signal, participants offered a silent prayer for the war fallen. Governor Denny Tamaki vowed, in his peace declaration, “We will properly pass on the war experiences and lessons to the next generation in response to the desires of all those who have experienced war, so as to never repeat such a tragedy.” Last year, amidst the coronavirus crisis, the number of invited parti