The Prime Minister Visits Ioto
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Photograph of the Prime Minister collecting the remains of the war dead
Photograph of the Prime Minister hearing about the progress on the recovery of the remains of the war dead 1
Photograph of the Prime Minister hearing about the progress on the recovery of the remains of the war dead 2
Photograph of the Prime Minister joining his hands in prayer in front of the remains of the war dead
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering a silent prayer at the Memorial Service for the War Dead in Ioto
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the Memorial Service for the War Dead in Ioto 1
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the Memorial Service for the War Dead in Ioto 2
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering a flower at the Memorial Service for the War Dead in Ioto
Prime Minister Naoto Kan visited Ioto (Ogasawara Village, Tokyo), in order to see the progress on the recovery of the remains of the war dead in Ioto.
During the Pacific War in 1945, a fierce battle took place in Ioto which lasted for over a month, leaving about 22,000 Japanese soldiers dead. About 13,000 remains are still unrecovered even today, 65 years after the end of the war.
Arriving at Ioto, the Prime Minister visited the west side of the runway used by the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the foot of the Mount Suribachi, which are described as cemeteries in a US document, and heard a report on the progress on the recovery of the war dead.
Later, the Prime Minister attended the Memorial Service for the War Dead in Ioto held in front of the Cenotaph for the War Dead in Ioto in Tenzan. After a minute of silent prayer offered by the participants, the Prime Minister delivered a memorial address, which was followed by an address by the representative of the bereaved families and the offering of flowers.