Tokyo, June 23 (EFE).- The Japanese archipelago of Okinawa on Monday commemorated the 80th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II with a ceremony in which authorities called for a reduction in the US military presence in the area.
The commemorative ceremony, held at the Peace Park in Itoman, a town in the south of Okinawa’s main island and the scene of the battle’s finale, was attended by both Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, as well as other politicians such as Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
Ishiba said the government will pass on a firm commitment not to repeat the horrors of war to future generations, and work to achieve a world where people can live in peace and prosperity, amid growing concern for conflicts around the world, especially the escalating war in the Middle East.
The prime minister also vowed to significantly reduce the number of US bases in Okinawa, adding that the region continues to bear a disproportionate burden from the bases.
Following the end of the Pacific War and the defeat of Japan, Okinawa remained under US administration until 1972, during which time numerous US bases were established in the region that remain active to this day.
Anti-base sentiment is widespread among the archipelago due to various factors such as noise, pollution, and crimes allegedly committed by US military personnel, including a number of cases of sexual assault.
Among the other attendees at the ceremony, almost all wearing traditional black Okinawan shirts as a sign of mourning, were a representative of the anti-nuclear organization Nihon Hidankyo, winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, and United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.
The Battle of Okinawa, which left around 200,000 people dead, marked the only US ground invasion of Japan during World War II, and came just months before the country’s total surrender just days after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The bloody conflict lasted three months and claimed the lives of one in four Okinawans.
Local authorities often use this anniversary to underscore the heavy burden still borne by this small archipelago, which hosts about 75 percent of the US military bases in Japan. The bases, which occupy a fifth of the main island, were built on land expropriated during the US occupation that lasted until 1972, two decades longer than in the rest of the Asian country.
In parallel with the relocation of US bases in the archipelago, a process that is underway but facing environmental and legal obstacles, Japan has been strengthening its defense capabilities in the region.
This comes in response to the intensification of Chinese military activities in waters near Okinawa and in the vicinity of Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands, administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
These movements have increased concern among the Okinawan population about the possibility that the archipelago could once again become the front line of a war. EFE
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