75 years after the end of the war – Okinawa Memorial Day

June 23rd is Okinawa Memorial Day

In Okinawa Prefecture, June 23rd is the day for the end of the war, “Memorial Day,” and since it is a public holiday, schools and other public places are closed.
A memorial service for the war dead is also held on Taketomi Island.
Every year, elementary and junior high school students also participate, but this year we did not participate and the scale was reduced.
At the Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman City, on the main island of Okinawa, a memorial service for all Okinawan war dead is held, and it is also distributed specially on TV and the Internet.

Please see this video.
All Okinawa war dead memorial service
https://youtu.be/jPDKov6w5Pw

Memory of Okinawa Battle, Succession of Uchina Ikusa

In Okinawa, the US military landed on the central part of the main island in April 1945.
The Japanese troops continued to resist while pulling south, many residents became involved in the battle, making it the largest ground battle in the country, killing more than 200,000 people in total.
It was a time-consuming ”scrap stone operation” for the mainland decisive battle, in order to compensate for the lack of strength, Okinawa prefecture citizens aged 17 to under 45 were summoned, and a total of 65,000 were summoned as soldiers.
It is no exaggeration to say that there are no young men in Okinawan villages.
Not only young men, but also young boys and girls students were mobilized to units such as “Defense Corps“, “Iron-Blood Emperor“, “Gokyo Corps“, “Himeyuri Student Corps“, “Shiraume Student Corps“.
The organized battle is said to have ended due to the decision of Commander Ushijima and others on June 23.
In Okinawa, where it is said that one in four people died.
“Memorial Day” is cherished as a day.

Recitation of “Poem of Peace”

At the memorial ceremony for all the victims of Okinawa, along with a greeting from the Prime Minister and the Okinawa Prefecture Governor’s Declaration of Peace, there will be a reading of the “Poem of Peace” by students selected from attending school in Okinawa prefecture.
Children in Okinawa live in their daily lives, with grandfathers and grandmothers of war-experienced people nearby, bases in the neighborhood, and incidents by U.S. military soldiers.
I think they are growing heartfelt in praying for peace.
Therefore, the words of a straightforward prayer for peace from the child’s perspective are remembered every year.
This year’s “Poem of Peace” was read by Akane Takara (17), a third year student at Shuri High School.

The following reading is what impressed me over the past few years.
“Living” Rinko Sagara, 3rd year Minatogawa Junior High School.

The reading below is also famous, even before I came to Okinawa.
“Peace is nice” Yuki Asato, 1st grade Kubera elementary school　

Yuki Asato’s reading is also a picture book, and it is one of the books I want to read most when thinking about peace with children.
This is a picture book drawn by illustrator Yoshifumi Hasegawa visiting Yuki Asato, who was an elementary school student on Yonaguni Island at the time.

Peace is nice, Yuki Asato (Author), Yoshifumi Hasegawa (Illustration)

About the author, Yuki Asato

Born in Okinawa City in 2007. Moved to Yonagunijima at the age of four with the transfer of his father, a teacher. In 2013, he entered Yonaguni Municipal Kubera Elementary School and applied for the “Peace message for children and students” collected by the Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum. Won the highest award in the poetry category in the lower grades of elementary school.
On June 23, he read his poem at the memorial ceremony for all the war dead in Okinawa. Currently living in Okinawa City.

from Amazon.com

Summary

Today, with my family, I watched the memorial service for all the victims of Okinawa on the Internet.
We would like to remind ourself that many innocent people firmly accept the victim of the war, pass it on to future generations, and how happy we are to live a peaceful life.