TOKYO – Residents on Okinawa prayed for peace and remembered their loved ones Tuesday on the 75th anniversary of the end of one of WWII’s deadliest conflicts, the Battle of Okinawa, on the southern Japanese island that still has a heavy U.S. troop presence.
At the ceremony held to remember more than 200,000 people, many of them civilians, who died in the fighting near the war’s end, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said the tragic history must be remembered accurately and handed down to younger generations.
Today, many people live in places of conflict, or face poverty, discrimination and environmental pollution, and the fear and economic impact from the coronavirus have further divided societies, he said. It’s more important than ever for everyone to tolerate differences, trust each other and cooperate, he said. (AP)
