On October 8th (Saturday) and 9th (Sunday), the Okinawa Association of America (OAA) in Gardena, California will rebroadcast their annual Irei no Hi: Remembering the Battle of Okinawa on YouTube. A special guest lecturer from Okinawa, Harumi Miyagi, talked about the forced mass civilian deaths on Zamami Island.

The event was Japanese with English subtitles for the presentation and English translation for the Q&A. The recording will be available to watch anytime on October 8th and 9th: youtube.com/watch?v=drZHwOSlPSw – Suggested donation is $5.

World War II’s Battle of Okinawa has been called one the bloodiest land battles in the Pacific, with historians calling it a “war of attrition” by the Imperial Japanese Army to prevent the U.S. military from reaching the Japanese mainland. The U.S. military landed in the Kerama Islands (made up of Tokashiki, Zamami, and Kerama) on March 26, 1945. Okinawan survivors state that the mass civilian deaths that occurred during this time were coerced by the Imperial Japanese Army. In 2007, Japan’s Ministry of Education ordered the incidents to be removed from high school textbooks. Guest lecturer Harumi Miyagi talked about these horrific incidents based on her research and interviews with survivors.

Harumi Miyagi is a historian, lecturer, and writer born in Zamami. She is currently the vice chairperson of the New Okinawa Prefectural History Editorial Committee (Shin Okinawa-ken-shi Henshū Iinkai) and chairperson of the Women’s History Subcommittee. As a lecturer, she has spoken at Okinawa International University, the University of the Ryūkyūs, and the Prefectural Government office about women’s history and gender studies, peace and human rights, and the inheritance of tootoomee (Okinawan mortuary tablets). Her books include “What My Mother Left Behind: New Testimonies of Mass Suicide in Zamami Island,” “Women’s History as a Minority” (co-authored), and “Listen to the Damage of Sexual Violence” (co-authored).

This year marks the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa. In Okinawa, a memorial day known as Irei no Hi (慰霊の日) is observed annually on June 23, the date which was documented as the end of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. The goal of the OAA's annual Irei no Hi: Remembering the Battle of Okinawa event is to memorialize the nearly 150,000 lives that were lost during the war and post-war years and to inform the next generation about Okinawa’s history and current issues. 

The Okinawa Association of America, Inc. (OAA) is a public benefit, charitable organization that is dedicated to preserving and promoting Okinawan culture. Formed by first generation Okinawan immigrants (issei), the OAA has grown into a multi-generational organization that hosts numerous events throughout the year for the community (cultural lectures, performances, social gatherings), senior-focused activities, and opportunities for youth/young adult members of Okinawan descent. 2019 marked the organization’s 110th anniversary as well as the 20th anniversary of the OAA Center in Gardena.