Okinawa commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa’s conclusion on Monday, with Governor Denny Tamaki declaring it the island’s “mission” to preserve and share its tragic history amid escalating global conflicts, according to AP News.
The ceremony at Itoman City’s Mabuni Hill, where most war remains rest, occurred against a backdrop of heightened anxieties following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, intensifying local fears about Okinawa’s heavy American military presence and potential entanglement in Taiwan conflicts.
The 1945 battle began on 1 April when US forces landed and lasted nearly three months. It claimed approximately 200,000 lives: 12,000 Americans and over 188,000 Japanese, half being Okinawan civilians.
Students and others were reportedly forced into mass suicides by Japan’s military, which historians say sacrificed Okinawa to defend the mainland. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged that Japan’s peace and prosperity were built on this history of hardship.
The anniversary was overshadowed by recent controversy after ruling party lawmaker Shoji Nishida, known for whitewashing wartime atrocities, denounced inscriptions at the Himeyuri Cenotaph as “rewriting history.” Nishida’s claim that the memorial wrongly portrayed Japan’s army as causing deaths while depicting Americans as liberators sparked outrage, forcing Ishiba to apologise to Governor Tamaki.
Enduring burdens and strategic anxieties
Okinawa endured 27 years of US occupation post-battle, reverting to Japan only in 1972. Today, the island hosts 70% of US military facilities in Japan despite constituting 0.6% of the nation’s land.
Governor Tamaki highlighted ongoing burdens: noise pollution, aircraft accidents, alleged crimes involving US personnel, and nearly 2,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance still regularly unearthed. A recent base storage explosion reportedly injured four Japanese soldiers.
Strategic anxieties compound these grievances. Okinawans fear becoming a pawn again amid Taiwan tensions, recalling how imperial Japan exploited the island for mainland defence. The US troop presence constrains local economic development and perpetuates what residents call a “base-dependent economy.”
Governor Tamaki, citing nuclear threats and global conflicts, resolved to advance peace studies and disarmament.
It is our mission, as those living in the present, to preserve and pass on the reality and lessons to future generations.
