Ryukyu Islands Memorial Day (Battle of Okinawa)

RYUKYU ISLANDS on 23 June 1966 issued a commemorative First Day Cover stamp entitled “Memorial Day” to mark the 11 anniversary since the end of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. The stamp featured lillies set against ruins.

Okinawa Memorial Day (Irei no Hi, "the day to console the dead") is a public holiday observed in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture annually on 23 June to remember the lives lost during the Battle of Okinawa. It is not celebrated nationally throughout Japan. The Battle of Okinawa was the only ground engagement of the Pacific War fought on Japanese soil. Over 240,000 people died and numerous buildings on the island were destroyed along with countless historical documents, artifacts and cultural treasures. It is estimated that about half of the war victims were local Okinawan residents, among them children.

In the Battle of Okinawa, Japanese soldiers as well as inhabitants, were pushed to the Southern border of Okinawa and Mitsuru Ushijima and Isamu Chō, top generals committed suicide on  22 or 23 June 1945. During the occupation of Japan, in 1961, Okinawa Memorial Day was made a holiday by the Government of the Ryukyu Islands in order to remember and pray for their family members and relatives who were killed during the Battle of Okinawa. In 1972, when Okinawa was returned to Japan, Okinawa Memorial Day lost its recognition as a holiday, but this was restored by the prefectural government in 1991.

The Cornerstone of Peace is a monument in Itoman commemorating the Battle of Okinawa and the role of Okinawa during World War II. The names of over two hundred and forty thousand people who died are inscribed on the memorial. It was unveiled on 23 June 1995.

Source: Wikipedia