U.S. Torpedo Attack Victims Remembered in Japan 81 Years On

   Naha, Okinawa Pref., Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)--A memorial ceremony was held Friday to remember the more than 1,400 victims, including many schoolchildren, of the sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship in a U.S. torpedo attack 81 years ago during World War II.
   Survivors and bereaved families prayed for the victims at the ceremony in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.
   About 300 people attended the event and observed a moment of silence.
   "What we must do is remember the regrets of those who lost their lives and pass on the messages of the tragedy of war and the importance of life," Masakatsu Takara, 85, a survivor and head of a group working to convey the history of the Tsushima Maru, said.
   Hisashi Teruya, 85, another survivor who works as a storyteller to share his experience, prayed for his mother and sister who died in the incident.

(2025/08/22-14:40)