On the 26th, it will be 79 years since the ground battle began in the Battle of Okinawa at the end of the Pacific War. In Zamami Village on the Kerama Islands, where American troops first landed and many residents lost their lives, bereaved families and others offered prayers for peace.
During the Battle of Okinawa at the end of the Pacific War, one in four Okinawans lost their lives, and more than 200,000 people died in the fierce ground battle.
Seventy-nine years ago, on March 26, 1945, American troops began landing at Zamami Village on the Kerama Islands, located approximately 40 kilometers west of the main island of Okinawa. Approximately 1,200 people died by suicide.
On the 26th, flowers were placed at the Peace Tower in the village where the names of the war dead are engraved, and bereaved families offered prayers for peace.
A man in his 50s whose grandmother and others died in ``mass suicide'' said, ``War is stupid and doesn't make anyone happy.What happened on this island must never be forgotten, and I want to pass it on.'' I was there.
The man's 14-year-old eldest son said, ``Just like when bullying occurs at school, we discuss it and resolve it.'' I think it would be good if we could discuss wars and end them.''
According to Zamami Village, the population of those who experienced the war is aging, and there are almost no people in the village who know what happened during that time, so the challenge is how to pass on the memories and lessons of the war to the next generation.
People who visited Zamami ``Peace Tower''
A 39-year-old man who works as a teacher in Zamami Village, whose grandmother's younger brother died in a mass suicide, said, ``I am conscious of my connection to the Battle of Okinawa and teach children about war.Peace is for us.'' I want to protect it because it is something that we have built."
A man in his 60s whose grandparents died in ``mass suicide'' said, ``This island is very popular with tourists, but I want people to know that there is a side of war on this island.Why did ``mass suicide'' occur? ``I want to continue thinking about what it feels like to feel such a sense of hopelessness.''
A 34-year-old woman who immigrated from Yokohama said, ``There is a war going on in Ukraine and other countries, and all I can do is pray that it will end soon, but I think it is important for me to live in peace first.'' I did.