Tokyo, 23 June, /AJMEDIA/
Okinawa on Thursday marked the 77th anniversary of the end of a major World War II ground battle between Japanese and U.S. troops, with a memorial service slated to be attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
This year’s ceremony will be held after the southern island prefecture commemorated 50 years since its reversion to Japan from U.S. rule on May 15.
The 1945 battle, during the final phase of World War II, claimed the lives of over 200,000 civilians and soldiers from the Japanese and American militaries. Fighting took place from March through June of that year.
It will be the first time in three years the country’s prime minister will attend the event which will be downscaled for the third straight year due to the coronavirus.
The Battle of Okinawa was a fierce ground war that took a heavy toll on the local civilian population, with one in four of the prefecture’s residents dying.