Prime Minister Naoto Kan visited Okinawa Prefecture to attend the Memorial Ceremony to Commemorate the Fallen on the 66th 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 Prime Minister offered a flower at the National Cemetery for the War Dead, visited the Cornerstone of Peace, and then attended the memorial ceremony. The ceremony was also 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, and relevant Cabinet Ministers, who paid tribute to the people who lost their lives to the battle.

At the ceremony, attendants observed a minute of silence at noon. That was followed by words of mourning by the Okinawa Association of War Bereaved Families, the offering of flowers by representing participants, a peace declaration by Governor Nakaima, and the reciting of a peace poem by Ms. Tomoka Kamida, a Nakanishi Junior-high School student.

Later, Prime Minister Kan delivered an address. He said, "This year is the 66th year since the end of the Second World War. After the war, Okinawa achieved robust development, overcoming great sorrow. However, even today, the people of Okinawa are shouldering an excessive burden as many US bases are concentrated in Okinawa. It is deeply regrettable that Okinawa has been solely left behind in the process of alleviating this burden, although 39 years have passed since its return to Japan. I will make the utmost efforts going forward to alleviate the burden on Okinawa and eliminate the hazards associated with the US bases."