NAHA, Japan - Okinawa on Tuesday marked 81 years since the end of a fierce World War II ground battle between Japan and the United States that took the lives of more than 200,000 military personnel and civilians.
Efforts to preserve memories of the battle are at a crossroads as the number of survivors dwindles. The island prefecture continues to bear the heavy burden of hosting United States military bases, even more than 50 years after the reversion from U.S. rule.
Japan is also boosting its own defense capabilities in the southern region, which holds geopolitical significance, amid the Chinese military's growing maritime activities and fears of a possible contingency in Taiwan.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki will attend a memorial service later in the day for the lives lost in the battle.
Opportunities to hear first-hand accounts of the conflict are fading, with about 60 percent of local high-schoolers not having any family members who can talk about the battle, according to local researchers.
U.S. forces landed on the main island of Okinawa in April 1945. On May 22, the Japanese army decided to retreat from the oncoming Americans to the southern part of the island, intermingling with local residents and resulting in widespread civilian suffering.
Anticipating a decisive battle on the mainland, U.S. forces occupied Japanese military air bases, leading to Okinawa's hosting of U.S. military bases to date.
