Shoji Nishida, an upper house member of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on May 7, 2025. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — A hawkish member of Japan’s ruling party on Wednesday came under fire for his statement that descriptions at a war memorial rewrote the history of the Himeyuri student corps, many of whom lost their lives in Okinawa, one of the fiercest battlegrounds of World War II.
Facing an immediate backlash, Shoji Nishida, an upper house member of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said he did not mean to hurt the feelings of people in Okinawa. However, he said he would not retract the comments he made during a symposium on Saturday.
During the symposium in Okinawa, Nishida said exhibits at the museum seem to imply that “Japanese soldiers swarmed (into the area), leading the Himeyuri corps to die. Then, the U.S. troops came to set Okinawa free.”
Nishida then added, “There is no salvation for those who perished.”
The Himeyuri Peace Museum, however, rejected Nishida’s claim, saying that there are no such descriptions on the premises, which include a cenotaph built in memory of over 200 female students and teachers who died during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
The Himeyuri student corps refers to a group of 222 students and 18 teachers from two local high schools, who were mobilized in March 1945 by the Imperial Japanese Army as a nursing unit.
The women, who took care of sick and wounded soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa, were given an abrupt order to disband on June 18, 1945, just five days before the battle ended, as Japan’s losses mounted and defeat became clear.
A total of 123 girls and 13 teachers lost their lives after they were either caught in the crossfire of Japanese and American troops, or committed suicide in the aftermath.
Nishida told reporters on Wednesday that his remarks were based on his “impressions” of what he saw at the site a long time ago. “It’s regrettable if there are people who were offended (by the remarks),” he added.
Okinawa was reverted to Japan in 1972 after U.S. control. The prefecture hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, with local opposition to the military presence remaining strong.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said Nishida’s statement “distorts” the historical facts of the Battle of Okinawa, in which over 200,000 people, both from Japan and the United States, died. “The misconception is outrageous.”
The controversial remarks come as Japan marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year. Ishiba has expressed his willingness to take a fresh look at the country’s wartime history and draw lessons from it, though he is expected to break with the custom followed by his predecessors of issuing an anniversary statement.
Nishida had close ties with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the country’s longest-serving premier who had hawkish views on history and defense. He has expressed concern that the LDP cannot win the House of Councillors election slated for this summer under Ishiba as LDP chief, urging him to resign.
“He rubbed the people of Okinawa the wrong way,” Hajime Zaha, a senior executive of the LDP’s local chapter in Okinawa, said of Nishida.
The Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of the LDP, has taken the view that Nishida should retract the comments and apologize.
AloJapan.com