Okinawa Peace Memorial Park stands on elevated ground overlooking the sea in the Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park, a protected area dedicated to the battlefields and memorial sites of the Battle of Okinawa. The park’s symbol is the Tower of Peace, built as a lasting prayer for peace.
Set among the hills of Mabuni in Itoman City, at the southern end of Okinawa Island, the park is both a place of remembrance and an important cultural destination. From the grounds, visitors can look toward the Mabuni hills, known as the site where the Battle of Okinawa came to an end, as well as the rugged and beautiful coastline to the southeast.
The park contains numerous memorial facilities, including the National Okinawa War Dead Memorial, the Cornerstone of Peace, the Reimei-no-To Memorial Tower, and memorial monuments dedicated to people from different prefectures and organizations throughout Japan. Ceremony grounds and other facilities are also located within the spacious park.
Development of the memorial area began during the period when Okinawa was administered by the Ryukyu Government. Following Okinawa’s return to Japan in 1972, the site underwent extensive development as a major urban park.
Today, the park is visited by people from across Japan and around the world, including families, school groups, and groups traveling specifically to pay their respects to those who died during the war.
Although the park has a solemn purpose, its spacious grounds are also used by local families for recreation. On holidays, people can be seen enjoying the large lawns, playing sports, having picnics, and spending time outdoors. This coexistence of remembrance and everyday life reflects the park’s broader message of building a peaceful future.
Okinawa Peace Memorial Park lies within the Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park, which extends across parts of southern Okinawa Island, including Itoman City and Yaese Town.
The protected area covers approximately 5,059 hectares, including about 3,127 hectares of land and 1,932 hectares of sea. It is unique in Japan as a quasi-national park centered specifically on battlefield remains and landscapes associated with war.
The southern part of Okinawa Island was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. In May 1945, as U.S. forces advanced, the headquarters of the Japanese forces withdrew toward the southern end of the island.
Large numbers of civilians and Japanese soldiers became concentrated in the same limited area, creating an extremely chaotic and tragic battlefield. On June 18, 1945, Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner, the commander of U.S. forces on Okinawa, was killed in the fighting.
Organized resistance by the Japanese military effectively ended on June 23, when Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima, commander of the Japanese forces, took his own life. U.S. forces, however, continued mopping-up operations into early July.
June 23 is observed in Okinawa as Okinawa Memorial Day, commemorating the end of organized Japanese military resistance during the Battle of Okinawa.
Each year on this day, the Okinawa Memorial Ceremony for All War Dead is held at Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni. People gather to remember those who lost their lives and to reaffirm the importance of peace.
One of the most significant places in the park is the Cornerstone of Peace. Established in June 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War and the Battle of Okinawa, it is a memorial dedicated to all people who died in the war, regardless of nationality or whether they were military personnel or civilians.
The names of the dead are engraved on large granite walls arranged in a screen-like formation. The memorial stands in the Peace Plaza overlooking the coastline, creating a quiet setting for reflection.
The monument expresses a universal wish for lasting world peace and deliberately makes no distinction between the nationalities or military status of those who died.
Names continue to be added to the memorial. As of June 23, 2014, the number of names inscribed had reached 241,336.
The Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum was established to mourn all those who lost their lives during World War II, preserve the lessons of the devastating war for future generations, and contribute to the realization of lasting world peace.
Opened in 1975, the museum houses and displays military documents, privately preserved records, and personal accounts related to the Battle of Okinawa, including writings by members of the Himeyuri Student Corps.
The exhibitions are organized into four major sections: The Road to the Battle of Okinawa, Civilians on the Battlefield, The Room of Testimonies, and From the Internment Camps.
Visitors can also hear firsthand testimonies, offering personal perspectives on the experiences of civilians and others caught up in the Battle of Okinawa.
The Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall was built within the park as a symbol of the wish for lasting peace. The distinctive seven-sided structure rises approximately 45 meters high.
Inside is the Okinawa Peace Memorial Statue, while the surrounding grounds include a Peace Bell and an art museum. Together, these facilities create a space dedicated to remembrance, peace, and artistic expression.
The National Okinawa War Dead Memorial is a memorial and ossuary where the remains of more than 180,000 people are enshrined.
Established in February 1979, the complex includes a worship hall with a traditional red-tiled roof, an ossuary designed in the style of a Ryukyuan tomb made from stacked stones, and an open plaza surrounding the structures.
Numerous memorial monuments and towers dedicated to people from individual Japanese prefectures and various organizations stand nearby, reflecting the enormous human cost of the Battle of Okinawa.
Reimei-no-To is a memorial tower dedicated to Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima, commander of the Japanese forces, and Lieutenant General Isamu Cho, his chief of staff.
The tower stands on a hill overlooking the battlefield and the Pacific Ocean, above the remains of the underground command headquarters where Ushijima took his own life at the end of the Battle of Okinawa.
Shimadamori-no-To is a memorial dedicated to Okinawa Governor Akira Shimada, who was originally from Hyogo Prefecture, and 453 prefectural government employees who died while carrying out their duties during the Battle of Okinawa.
The memorial was established in 1951 through donations from surviving former prefectural government employees and local residents. It stands as a reminder of the many civilians and government workers who lost their lives during the conflict.
Every year around Children’s Day in May, the park hosts the Peace Memorial Koinobori Festival. Colorful carp streamers are displayed as a symbol of children’s healthy growth and a peaceful future.
The park also served as part of the Okinawa Prefecture torch relay route for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on April 16, 2021, adding another connection between the site and the theme of peace.
Okinawa Peace Memorial Park is an important place for understanding Okinawa’s modern history. Its monuments, museum, memorial halls, and preserved battlefield landscape communicate the human cost of war while emphasizing the importance of peace.
For international visitors, the park provides an opportunity to learn about the Battle of Okinawa from multiple perspectives, including military history, civilian experiences, personal testimonies, and the long process of remembrance that followed the war.
The expansive grounds and views of the surrounding coastline also create a peaceful environment for reflection. A visit here is not simply sightseeing; it is an opportunity to remember the past and consider the value of peace in the present and future.
Bus No. 89 from Naha (bus terminal) → Itoman (bus terminal) line No. 82 → Tamasendo line (get off at Peace Memorial Hall entrance)