Okinawa was the site of the last major world war II battle. It is the largest island in the Ryukyu chain, the small islands in the western Pacific ocean. Okinawa belongs to Japan, and the history between these two places has dated back centuries.
But in April of 1945 America entered Okinawa to fight what would become the last battle of the war. American’s made up around half a million soldiers to fight against a little over a hundred thousand Japanese and Okinawans.
False hope had been inserted into the hearts of the Okinawans who believed that the Japanese army planned to bring their largest ship to take back the island. The Yamato was the leader of the battle ships for the IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy). But the Okinawans were oblivious to the fact that the Yamato had been sunk by allied forces only a few short days after the Americans had made it to Okinawa.
Soon after the start of the battle, it was clear that the Americans were advancing and the IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) couldn’t hold out forever. But the Japanese army refused to accept their defeat. The army fighting on Okinawa was made up mostly of Japanese soldiers, Okinawan men, and the Blood and Iron Students Corps. The Student Corps consisted of boys between the ages of 14 and 18 that were drafted to fight along the Japanese.
When the battle ended on June 22nd, 1945, the island fell into the hands of the Americans. Over the years, those who were left on the island began to rebuild their cities. This took years considering the amount of damage done. And in 1972, the island fell back into the hands of the Japanese following a treaty signed by president Richard Nixon.
Today the island is completely rebuilt and houses over a million people. The island is full of sunny beaches perfect for vacationing.
But if this island has so much history, how is it still not known among a large majority of the world? How has everyone forgot the tragedy that hit the island over 70 years ago?
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I did not know much about Okinawa before reading this. Thanks for bringing some light to the subject!