People Hope Imperial Couple’s Wish for Peace Will Be Passed On

August 15, 2018

Tokyo- People in Japanese locations devastated by World War II are grateful to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko for wishing for peace every year and hope their feelings and attitudes will be passed on to Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako.

The Emperor, when he was crown prince, cited Japan's surrender in the war on Aug. 15, the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, respectively, and the end of the Battle of Okinawa on June 23, all in 1945, as four days that the Japanese must never forget. He has offered silent prayers on the anniversaries of the dates every year.

Masakatsu Takara, a 78-year-old survivor of a U.S. torpedo attack against the Tsushima Maru Japanese evacuation ship from Okinawa during the war, appreciated Emperor Akihito's deep feelings about the wartime sacrifices made by the people of Okinawa when he saw the Emperor's attendance at annual government-sponsored memorial services for the war dead.

"It's very sad (to see him attend the service for the final time this year before abdication), but I feel thankful for his duty over the long term," Takara said.

Takara, head of a group to remember the ship attack and the victims, guided the Imperial couple when they visited Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, in June 2014 to console the souls of more than 1,400 people, mainly schoolchildren, who were killed in the U.S. attack on Aug. 22, 1944.

He expressed hope that Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako will "fully take over the Emperor's feelings and visit Okinawa at an early date following the Crown Prince's accession to the throne."

Emperor Akihito is set to step down on April 30, 2019. His eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will accede to the throne the following day.

Sakue Shimohira, an 83-year-old survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, said, "The Emperor and Empress have a good knowledge about the war and have made efforts to prevent a recurrence."

"I appreciate them facing the realities of the atomic bombing," said Shimohira, who shared her experiences with the Imperial couple during their visit to Nagasaki in the summer of 1995, the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. The visit was part of a tour that also took them to Hiroshima, Okinawa and Tokyo Memorial Hall, which is dedicated to victims of air raids on Tokyo during the war.

She called on the Crown Prince and Princess to "gain a secure knowledge about the past and communicate voices seeking the elimination of nuclear weapons to the world."

Nobuo Murata, acting head of Yano Orizuru-en, a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima, western Japan, saw from up close the Emperor and Empress talking to 10 residents during their visit to the home in December 2014.

"They courteously talked to each resident and I felt they were thinking about Japanese people from the bottom of their hearts," Murata, 68, said. "They have worked hard for a long time. I hope they will have happy days, considering their own lives and health."

On the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, he said, "I want them to maintain the Imperial Family for the people, like the Emperor and Empress have done." Jiji Press