A memorial ceremony was held in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday for more than 200,000 people who lost their lives in a fierce ground battle fought in the southernmost prefecture 79 years ago toward the end of World War II.
During the memorial service, sponsored by the Okinawa Prefectural Government and held in the Peace Memorial Park in the city of Itoman's Mabuni district, participants observed a moment of silence in honor of the war dead, laid flowers and renewed their pledge for peace. Mabuni was the last grueling battlefield during the Battle of Okinawa, to which numerous civilians fell victim.
In a peace declaration, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki called for resolving the challenges created by the increasingly complex security environment through peaceful diplomacy and dialogue. "Let's work unceasingly together to establish lasting peace," he said.