Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum

The Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum stands at the heart of Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni, Itoman, on the southern tip of Okinawa's main island where the Battle of Okinawa reached its devastating conclusion in June 1945. This is the prefecture's principal institution for remembering the battle, and it approaches that history with an unflinching honesty and a distinctive point of view centered on the suffering of ordinary Okinawan civilians.

The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Pacific War, and the island's residents were caught between the invading American forces and the Japanese military. More than a quarter of the civilian population is thought to have died, many in mass evacuations, artillery bombardment, forced group suicides and starvation. Rather than glorifying combat, the museum frames the battle as a human catastrophe and dedicates itself to conveying the lessons of peace, a mission summed up in the Okinawan phrase nuchi du takara, meaning life is the greatest treasure.

Inside, the permanent exhibition guides visitors chronologically from Okinawa's history as the independent Ryukyu Kingdom, through its annexation by Japan, the militarization of the islands and the horrors of the battle itself, to the long postwar American occupation and the ongoing question of military bases. The most powerful galleries present the testimonies of survivors in their own words, displayed alongside artifacts, photographs and a haunting recreated cave shelter of the kind in which many civilians hid and died. Reading these accounts, gathered directly from those who lived through the events, is a sobering and deeply moving experience.

Surrounding the museum, Peace Memorial Park spreads across a green headland above the sea, once a battlefield and now a place of quiet reflection. Its centerpiece is the Cornerstone of Peace, a series of black granite walls inscribed with the names of everyone who perished in the battle, more than two hundred thousand people, listed without regard to nationality or which side they fought on, so that Japanese, Okinawan, American, Korean, British and Taiwanese names stand together. New names are still added as records are confirmed. Nearby rise the National Cemetery, the Flame of Peace and numerous prefectural memorial towers erected by families from across Japan.

Every year on June 23, Okinawa Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the battle's end with a solemn ceremony attended by survivors, bereaved families and dignitaries. On this day the low morning sun is designed to shine along the axis of the Cornerstone of Peace, a moving piece of memorial architecture.

The museum is thoughtfully presented with English-language materials, and a visit here provides essential context for understanding modern Okinawa, its culture of peace and its complicated relationship with the mainland and with the United States. It pairs well with the nearby Himeyuri Peace Museum, which tells the story of the student nurses who died in the battle, and with the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters further north.

Reaching the park takes some planning by public transport from Naha, involving a bus toward Itoman and a local connection, or about forty minutes by car with free parking on site. Allow at least ninety minutes for the main exhibition and time to walk among the memorials outside. It is one of the most important and affecting places to visit anywhere in Okinawa.