1 of 3 | Left to right, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko arrive at Kozakura Tower, a monument to victims of the Tsushima Maru cargo ship, in Naha, Okinawa-Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
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June 5 (UPI) — Japan’s royal family wrapped up a two day visit to Okinawa Thursday, where they paid respects to the victims of a World War II-era Japanese evacuation ship that was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko prayed for the victims who were lost aboard the ship, according to the Japanese national daily news outlet the Mainichi. They called for peace during their visit.
The imperial family presented flowers and bowed deeply at a memorial site in Nama for the Tsushima battleship, on which at least 1,500 people, including hundreds of schoolchildren, were killed in the torpedo attack.
The family also visited a nearby memorial museum where they spoke to survivors and bereaved family members, and also witnessed several personal items that belonged to the schoolchildren who died.
One man, 85-year-old Masakatsu Takara, recounted the pain of losing nine of his family members, including his parents and siblings.
The Tsushima Maru was hit with a torpedo near southwestern Japan’s Tokara Islands while traveling from Okinawa to Nagasaki during an August, 1944 government ordered evacuation.
Left to right, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko arrive at Kozakura Tower, a monument to victims of the Tsushima Maru cargo ship, in Naha, Okinawa-Prefecture, Japan, on June 5, 2025. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
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