Okinawans gather to honour WWII battle victims

Tribute to the dead: Family members paying their respects to the war victims at the Itoman Peace Memorial Park in Itoman city, Okinawa prefecture. — AFP

Tokyo: The southern Japanese island of Okinawa paid tribute to more than 200,000 war dead, including Americans, on the 73rd anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

Bereaved families and islanders along with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday attended a memorial service at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, the site of the final stage of the battle that killed a quarter of Okinawa’s civilian population.