Okinawa on Monday pledged to preserve and pass on the lessons of history at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of a fierce World War II ground battle between Japan and the United States that claimed more than 200,000 military and civilian lives.Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki attended the ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, where the final stage of the battle was fought. It comes amid fears of rising global tensions and a controversial comment by a lawmaker regarding portrayals of civilian deaths at a local museum.At the event, Tamaki s…READ FULL ARTICLE
