War-related memorial festivals canceled one after another Impact of the new coronavirus March 28 4:41
Seventy-five years after the end of the war, Pacific War-related memorial services have been canceled one after another due to the effects of the new coronavirus. Experts point out that "the memorial service is a valuable opportunity to pass on the consciousness of peace," and it is necessary to devise venues and other means so as not to lead to the spread of infection.
Of these, in 1945, about 28,000 people were killed in both the U.S. and Japan in 1975, Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands held a memorial ceremony jointly between the U.S. and Japan every year. Ceremony has been canceled.
In addition, on Tokashiki Island in Okinawa, where the U.S. military landed in the same year in 1945, the memorial service held on March 28, when many people died due to so-called "group self-determination," was canceled. There will be a burning incense stand for those who wish to worship.
In addition, the memorial service scheduled to be canceled in May in Chiran-cho, Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture, where many young people have been dispatched as special attackers, has been canceled in various places.
Ikuo Anzai, honorary director of the Ritsumeikan University International Peace Museum, said, “The memorial service will be a very valuable opportunity for future generations to pass on their awareness of peace. If it is difficult to gather at the venue, we would like to see effective measures such as placing the memorial ceremony at a certain distance and visiting each one, so that we can make it effective and do not lead to the spread of infection. He pointed out that it was necessary to seek continuation.