Japan Press Weekly

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2024 August 21 - 27 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP EC Chair Tamura calls for gov’t compensation to victims of wartime Tsushima-maru tragedy

August 22 this year marked the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Tsushima-maru, a Japanese passenger ship, in which about 1,500 Okinawans, including schoolchildren, were killed or wounded by torpedoes launched from a U.S. submarine during the Pacific War.

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, asked to comment about this occasion at a press conference held on the same day, said, “The government and Dietmembers should dig up the facts, conduct an investigation of the aftermath, and discuss ways to compensate the victims.”

She stated that the sinking of the Tsushima-maru “was a tragedy that occurred as Japan’s imperial government pushed ahead with a reckless war and used Okinawa as a sacrifice pawn in the face of the inevitable defeat of Japan.”

Tamura said, “Japanese politics today must reflect on the process leading to that tragedy, take the blame for abandoning Okinawa, and discuss what kind of compensation should be provided to the families of the victims.”

On the same day, a memorial service took place in Naha City, Okinawa, in front of the monument built to commemorate the victims. JCP member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken took part in the service. Survivors and bereaved families offered prayers for the victims.

Tsushima-maru tragedy

The ship Tsushima-maru, carrying 1,788 passengers from Okinawa to Nagasaki on August 22, 1944 was hit by torpedoes from a U.S. submarine and sunk off Kagoshima. This accident claimed the lives of 1,418 people, including many elementary school students. This trip was arranged by the national government, which was preparing battles in Okinawa. The state wanted women, children, and the elderly to leave the Okinawa islands as they were considered to be obstacles in battles and also consumers of food needed for Japanese troops.

Past related article:
> Okinawans remember victims of US attack on Tsushima-maru during WWII [August 23, 2018]