News Japan commemorates 80 years since the Battle of Okinawa

Okinawa held a memorial ceremony on Monday to honour those who died during the brutal ground battles that took place 80 years ago near the end of World War II. The Battle of Okinawa claimed over 200,000 lives, including about a quarter of the prefecture's population at the time. Okinawa marks 23 June 1945 as the date when Japan's Imperial military ceased organised resistance against US forces. The annual ceremony is held at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, the site of the final major fighting.


Survivors' testimonies have long been passed down in the memory of the battle, but opportunities to hear their accounts are dwindling. In some cases, elements of the historical record are being questioned or denied. To counter this, new initiatives aim to convey the reality of the battle. These include preserving wartime sites, such as the underground headquarters beneath Shuri Castle, and introducing digital resources into peace education. Today, Okinawa still hosts around 70% of US military facilities in Japan. In 2023, the prefecture recorded the highest-ever number of criminal suspects linked to US military personnel or related individuals.





CNN on the "bone diggers," volunteers combing through the caves on the former battlefields to collect human remains.

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