Overview

• The Emperor, Empress and Princess Aiko arrived in Naha on June 4 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa
• They laid flowers at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum in Itoman and at the Cornerstone of Peace memorial bearing the names of roughly 240,000 victims
• The trio toured the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum and met war survivors and bereaved families to hear firsthand accounts
• Princess Aiko made her first visit to Okinawa, reflecting a generational effort to preserve the memory of one of World War II’s bloodiest campaigns
• On June 5 the family will pay respects at the Tsushima Maru monument in Naha and inspect Shuri Castle’s restoration before returning to Tokyo