People have gathered at a memorial ceremony in Okinawa for victims of a US submarine attack on a ship that was evacuating hundreds of Japanese children during World War Two.
The Tsushima Maru was heading for Japan’s southwestern Kyushu region on August 22, 1944, carrying schoolchildren and others evacuating from Okinawa when it was sunk.
The attack claimed the lives of 1,484 people, including 784 children.
Friday marked the 81st anniversary of the incident. About 300 people, including survivors and bereaved family members, attended the ceremony in Naha City.
They offered silent prayers for the victims. Children then released butterflies into the sky as a prayer for peace.
Survivor Takara Masakatsu was four when he lost nine family members, including his parents and siblings.
He delivered a speech to mourn the victims. He said the regrets and sorrow of the children who had many dreams remain etched in the hearts of people, even after more than 80 years.
Another survivor, Takazato Shizuko, lost her older sister and brother in the attack. The 85-year-old said she remembers being carried on her mother’s back, holding onto a raft and begging for water.
She said her mother was calling the names of her brother and sister for a long time. She said with tears that she wants her siblings to know that the world has since become peaceful.
An elementary school teacher in his 50s who came from Kobe City said he wants the memorial to serve as an opportunity to think about how war victimizes children.
AloJapan.com