THE JAPAN Imperial couple yesterday mourned and paid their respects to those who paid the ultimate price in fierce battles on Palau during World War Two.
Palau was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the war. On the island of Peleliu, the Japanese withstood an American seaborne invasion for more than two months at a cost of more than 10,000 lives. The Americans lost more than 1,500 soldiers in that battle.
In the lesser known, but nonetheless costly Battle of Angaur, the Japanese lost more than 1,300 servicemen. American dead on Angaur totaled 260.
"During World War II, fierce battles between the United States and Japan took place in this region, including the present Republic of Palau, resulting in the loss of countless lives," Emperor Akihito said during a reception at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center on Wednesday.
"We are here in Palau to mourn and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in World War II and reflect on the hardships suffered by the bereaved families," he added.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko offered prayers and flowers at Japanese and American war memorials on Peleliu at the conclusion of their two-day visit to Palau. The Imperial couple was here to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
After flying in aboard a Japanese Coast Guard helicopter, the couple first went to the war memorial put up by Japan's government to those who died in the region in the war.
The couple solemnly walked towards the concrete cenotaph, bowed deeply, before laying bouquets of white chrysanthemums at the memorial.
Then they turned their gaze towards Angaur and bowed their heads to pay homage to the fallen from the battle there.
Afterwards, the couple spoke to Japanese veterans and soldiers' relatives who came here for the event. Among them was a Mr. Kurata who fought in the Battle of Angaur.
***(In Tia Belau Newspaper, it was 95-year-old Kiyokazu Tsuchida)
The Imperial couple was then transported to the American war memorial where they also offered silent prayers and bouquets.
Cheering crowds of locals and Japanese visitors lined the route taken by the Imperial couple.
Afterwards, joined by US Ambassador Amy Hyatt, Rear Admiral Babette Bolivar, Commander, U. S. Pacific Command representatives, Guam, President Remengesau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President Emmanuel Mori, Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) President Christopher Loeak, Japan Ambassador to Palau Kazuhiru Kajiri and others, they walked a short distance down to Orange Beach, the site of the American landing during the Battle of Peleliu.
An official of the Imperial Household Agency said the Imperial couple was also brief about the government's search for the remains of Japanese soldiers on the island. Some 2,600 Japanese soldiers who fought on Peleliu remain unaccounted for.
Human bones believed to be the remains of six Japanese soldiers were recovered last month from a cave in Peleliu.
The Japan Imperial couple wrapped up their trip by meeting and speaking with some residents of the island state.
The Japan Imperial couple and entourage flew back to Japan aboard a chartered Boeing 767 of the All-Nippon Airways (ANA) late afternoon yesterday after a send-off ceremony at the Palau International Airport.
The Imperial couple did not seem to mind the hours of travel from Tokyo to Palau as they were all smiles to those who they meet. The Imperial couple met with some of the children chosen from the different schools who greeted them by waving flags of Palau and Japan.
According to the Yoshisada Higa, the driven of the vehicle in which the Imperial Couple rode with, the Imperial Couple were laughing and asked him to roll down the window so that they could wave at the people who are waiting for them to pass by from Airai to Koror.
"They were really happy with how the people welcomed them. When they see people in the streets in Airai carrying both Palauan and Japanese flag, the Emperor himself asked me to roll down the window so that they could wave at them. I am really honored and happy to have driven the Imperial Couple," said Higa, who has worked at the Japan Embassy since 1999.
From the airport, the Imperial Couple made a brief stop at the Palau International Coral Reef Center. Sources said that the Emperor himself insisted on shaking hands with the staff of the center before viewing the center's aquarium. The Emperor also had a brief talk with PICRC's C.E.O. Dr. Yimnang Golbuu.
After PICRC, the Imperial Couple then went to the Ngarchamayong Cultural Center, where they also met with Federated States of Micronesia President Emmanuel Mori and the First Lady of FSM together with Republic of the Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak and the First Lady of RMI.
"The Republic of Palau, along with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was a German colony up to World War I. After that war, the Treaty of the Versailles and the decision of the League of Nations placed those territories under the mandate of Japan. Palau became the site of Japan's South Seas Agency and many people immigrated there from Japan. By around 1935, more than 50,000 Japanese nationals --a number greater than the native population--had come to live on those islands," Emperor Akihito stated.
The 81-year-old Emperor added that more than 20 years have passed since Japan established diplomatic relations with the three countries of Micronesia.
"It gives me great pleasure to see that our relationship is deepening in the field of fisheries and tourism, in particular. It is my hope that Japan's exchanges with each country will further flourish in the future," Akihito stressed.
Palau, a former colony of Japan, is the site of one of World War II's fiercest battles in the Pacific. Some 10,000 Japanese soldiers were killed during a two-month fight in 1944 in Peleliu Island, along with 1,700 Americans.
Part of the visit of the Imperial Couple is to pay tribute to those who died in the war.
ANA is one of the major airline companies in Japan. The company operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 32 international routes.
In addition to its mainline operations, ANA controls several subsidiary passenger carriers, including its regional airline ANA Wings and charter carrier, Air Japan. Additional smaller carriers include Air Do, a low-cost carrier operating scheduled service between Tokyo and cities in Hokkaido, Vanilla Air, a low-cost carrier serving resort and selected international destinations, and Allex Cargo (ANA Cargo), the freighter division operated by Air Japan.
Currently, visitors from Japan fly to Palau aboard Delta Airlines, which has regularly schedules flights and Japan Airlines (JAL) which is doing charter service.
Sources: Island Times Newspaper
Pages 1, 3, 10
Volume 10
No. 45
Friday, April 10, 2015
Tia Belau Newspaper
Page 1
Volume 24
Issue 30
April 13, 2015
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