NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Okinawa celebrated its 77th anniversary on Thursday after one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. The governor called for a further reduction in the presence of theUS military as local concerns grew. The islands of southern Japan will be caught up in military tensions in the region.
About 200,000 people died in the Battle of Okinawa, and nearly half of them were residents of Okinawa. Japan's wartime troops essentially sacrificed locals in an attempt to delay the United States' landing on the main island.
Many people in Okinawa are worried about the expansion of Japan's missile defensedeployment and amphibious capabilities on remote islands near geopolitical hotspots like Taiwan. I am.
At a ceremony commemorating the end of the battle on June 23, 1945, about 300 Okinawan attendees, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials, prayed silently at noon for the war dead. I put a chrysanthemum on. The number of attendees has been reduced due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, offers silence A prayer at a ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Japan commemorated the Battle of Okinawa. Before Thursday. (Kyodo News via AP)
BIDEN, NATO Summit attending G7'Most serious in decades Security situation
At a ceremony in Itoman City on the main island of Okinawa, Governor Tamaki Denny talked aboutRussia's invasion of Ukraineand the destruction of towns, buildings and local culture. Told. As with the constant horror of the Ukrainians, "Remind me of the memory of the ground war in Okinawa that involved civilians 77 years ago."
"We were in an indescribable shock," he said.
Tamaki also vowed to continue his efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and abandon the war "to prevent Okinawa from becoming a battlefield."
In May, Okinawa celebrated its 50th anniversary after returning to Japan in 1972, 20 years after the occupation of the United States ended in most of the country.
Today, a majority of the 50,000 U.S. forces based in Japan under a bilateral security agreement, and 70% of U.S. military facilities are still in Okinawa, with only 0.6 of Japan's land. Occupies%.
Because Okinawa is a US military base, it faces noise, pollution, accidents, and crimes related to the US military, Mr. Tamaki said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday, June 23, 2022. , A monument at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture. Japan marked the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II on an island in southern Japan that ended 77 years ago. .. (Kyodo News via AP)
Click here to get the FOX News app
Mr. Kishida said in the United States. It will reduce the burden on Okinawa from military bases and strengthen support for the economic development of the islands that have fallen behind during the 27-year occupation of the United States.
Resentment and frustration negotiate with Washingtonto balance the presence of the United States with the security burden between mainland Japan and the southern island groupsEfforts It is deep in Okinawa against the lack of.
Fumio Kishida has a number of futures, including enemies, due to the deteriorating security environment in local waters in the face of threats fromChina, North Korea and Russia. He promised to strengthen Japan's military power and budget over the year. The offensive capabilities that critics say interfere with Japan's pacifist constitution.
