Okinawa marks 75th anniv. of fierce WWII battle, remembers victims

Okinawa on Tuesday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of a major World War II ground battle that claimed over 200,000 lives, including large numbers of local civilians as well as Japanese and U.S. combatants.The annual memorial service was held on a scaled-down basis amid the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was not invited. It also came amid the continued conflict between the Okinawa and central governments over the sizeable presence of the U.S. military in the island prefecture.Related coverage:U.S. base construction work in Okinawa resumes after virus hiatus"We send…READ FULL ARTICLE