Play Keeps Memories of Sunken Tsushima Maru Alive, 81 Years On

   Naha, Okinawa Pref., Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)--A play recently performed in Japan keeps alive memories of the 1944 sinking of the Japanese evacuation ship Tsushima Maru in a U.S. torpedo attack, which killed over 1,400 schoolchildren and others.
   With the survivors growing older, local children took part in the stage performance in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, taking on the task of passing down the wartime tragedy to future generations.
   On the night of Aug. 22, 1944, the Tsushima Maru sank off Kagoshima Prefecture's Akuseki Island in southwestern Japan in the attack by a U.S. submarine. With World War II raging, the ship was heading from Okinawa to Nagasaki Prefecture. Of about 1,800 people aboard, 1,484 died.
   Ahead of the 81st anniversary of the ship's sinking on Friday, the play was staged in the capital of Okinawa for two days through Sunday. Over 70 people performed, including local children and actor Ryoko Kuninaka, who is from the prefecture
   The play was planned, written and directed by noted theater director Amon Miyamoto. It was based on the experiences of Keiko Taira, who, as a 9-year-old, survived the attack after drifting at sea for days.

(2025/08/22-15:57)

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