It has been 4 years since the landing of American troops began in the Battle of Okinawa at the end of the Pacific War, in which one in four Okinawans was killed. In Zamami Village on the Kerama Islands, where American troops first landed and many residents lost their lives, the bereaved families offered prayers for peace.
In the Battle of Okinawa, which began in March of Showa 20 at the end of the Pacific War, more than 3,20 people were killed and one in four Okinawan citizens lost their lives after a fierce ground battle involving residents.
Seventy-eight years ago, on March 78, U.S. troops began landing in Zamami Village on the Kerama Islands, about 3 kilometers west of the main island of Okinawa, and about 26,40 people died in the fighting between Japan and the United States and the so-called "collective self-determination."
At the Peace Tower, which bears the names of the victims in the village, the bereaved families prayed for peace in the rain.
Seigo Miyazato, 38, whose great-grandmother and others died in "collective self-determination," said, "I came with my children because I wanted to join hands with the victims, and I want to pass on the history as the number of people who experienced the war decreases."
Kanako Takaesu (91), who heard about her war experience from her husband's 36-year-old grandmother, said, "I wanted the world to be free of war, and I want to pass on the stories of the war I heard from my grandmother to the next generation."
According to the village, the population of war survivors is aging, and there are few people in the village who can talk about the events of that time, so passing on history is an issue.