Imperial Family Members set to tour Okinawa's WWII landmarks

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Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, are gearing up for a poignant journey next month. The Imperial family, including their daughter, Princess Aiko, will embark on their first visit to Okinawa, marking a significant milestone for the young royal.

The trip, originally planned for June 4, will commence with a solemn visit to the national cemetery for war dead in Itoman. Here, they will lay flowers, symbolizing the respect and remembrance for those who perished during World War II. The journey will continue to the "Cornerstone of Peace" cenotaph, a silent testament to the lives lost in the conflict.

Survivors will be privy to the imperial family's presence at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum. This is not the first time they've chosen to commemorate the war deaths; they previously paid their respects at Iōtō (Iwo Jima), a site of a fierce World War II battle, offering prayers for both Japanese and American war dead[2][4].

June 5 will bring a visit to a memorial in Naha for the Tsushima Maru incident. In 1944, the sinking of a Japanese ship in a U.S. submarine torpedo attack claimed the lives of about 1,500 people, including hundreds of schoolchildren[6]. At the nearby memorial museum, the imperial family will meet with survivors and bereaved families. Although then-Emperor Akihito and then-Empress Michiko visited the memorial in 2014, this will be the current emperor and empress's first visit[1].

Okinawa was claimed by the U.S. in the closing months of World War II in 1945, following the Battle of Okinawa, which began in March of that year with the landing of U.S. troops on the Kerama Islands near the main island of Okinawa. Around 200,000 people--both Japanese and American--lost their lives in the ground battle that ensued[3].

Princess Aiko, who will be accompanying her parents throughout the trip, will experience her first visit to Okinawa, a historic moment for the young royal[1][3][5]. In the coming months, the imperial couple is also scheduled to visit the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, mirroring the footsteps of the trips made by then-Emperor Akihito and then-Empress Michiko to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the war[5].

The Imperial family's first visit to Okinawa, containing over 200,000 war casualties from World War II, will notably occur next month.
Following their visit to the national cemetery for war dead, the imperial family will proceed to the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, a site that bears witness to war-and-conflicts.
In the museum, the imperial family will engage with survivors and bereaved families of the Tsushima Maru incident, a World War II tragedy that claimed about 1,500 lives, including hundreds of schoolchildren.
Simultaneously, Princess Aiko, the young royal, will make her inaugural visit to Okinawa alongside her parents, becoming a part of the country's general news during the trip.
Mirroring the footsteps of the trips made by then-Emperor Akihito and then-Empress Michiko, the current emperor and empress are also scheduled to visit the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, reflecting the nation's continued acknowledgment of the world's tumultuous history.
June marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, and the imperial couple's efforts in Okinawa and the atomic-bombed cities symbolize their solemn respect for the past and their hopes for a lasting peace.