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TOP > What's up around the Prime Minister > June, 2008

The Prime Minister Attends the Memorial Ceremony
to Commemorate the Fallen on the 63rd Anniversary
of the End of the Battle of Okinawa


Monday, June 23, 2008
Photograph of the Prime Minister offering a flower at the ceremony Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering a guest speech at the ceremony
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering a guest speech at the ceremony

Click photographs to enlarge


Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda attended the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 63rd Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Okinawa, on the Memorial Day for the War Dead, hosted by Okinawa Prefecture at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Hirokazu Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, and others representing the prefecture, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the House of Councillors, relevant Cabinet Ministers, and the bereaved family members, who paid tribute to the people who lost their lives to the battle.

At the ceremony, after opening remarks were delivered, attendants observed a minute of silence at noon. That was followed by words of mourning by the association of war bereaved families, the offering of white chrysanthemums by representing participants, a peace declaration by Governor Nakaima, and the reciting of a poem by a local elementary school student.

Prime Minister Fukuda then delivered a guest speech, saying, "I heard that the people of Okinawa harbor mixed feelings when they see Deigo (Indian coral bean) blossoms. They start to bloom around the time the Battle of Okinawa began and then scatter around the time the battle ended, which reminds the people of all those precious lives that were lost to the war. As many as 200,000 lives were lost during that battle. I cannot help but be overwhelmed by an immense grief today when I think back to the indescribable hardships experienced by the people there. My responsibility is to reflect in today's politics the wishes of the people who lost the chance to fulfill their aspirations. I will make sure that their wishes are inherited as a precious foundation for invaluable peace. Japan's peace and prosperity today is built on the precious sacrifice of the war dead. Japan should never repeat the tragedy and calamity of war. Japan will play a responsible role within the international community as a "Peace Fostering Nation" contributing to the peace and development of the world. I am determined not to imprint another sad memory on to these beautiful coral tree blossoms."