Okinawa on Friday commemorated the 55th anniversary of the end of fierce fighting in the prefecture between U.S. and Japanese forces during World War II — less than a month before it hosts the Group of Eight summit.
The memorial service began at noon with a minute of silent prayer at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, where the Heiwa no Ishiji (Cornerstone of Peace) monument stands. The monument lists the names of all those who died during the battle, including about 14,000 U.S. soldiers.
The service was attended by about 5,000 people, including Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine and the relatives of more than 200,000 people who died during the 1945 battle.
Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston, chief of U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa, and South Korean survivors of the battle also took part in the service.