Japan and the US yesterday called for strengthening their alliance as Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The tiny island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean lies about 1,250km from Tokyo and was the scene of five weeks of brutal combat between Japanese and US forces in World War II.
“I’d like to pay my respects to the souls of those who fought for our country on Iwo Jima and renew our pledge to peace,” Ishiba said at the joint Japan-US memorial service on the island.
Photo: AFP
“I’d also like to reiterate our determination to keep the preciousness of peace in our hearts and to raise the US-Japan alliance, which brings peace and prosperity to the world, to new heights,” he said.
Nearly all of Japan’s 21,000 soldiers were killed, fighting inside a network of tunnels, on Iwo Jima, while the US side had more than 6,800 fatalities.
“The US-Japan alliance shows those brave men of 1945 how yesterday’s enemy has become today’s friend,” Hegseth said. “Our alliance has been and remains the cornerstone of freedom, prosperity, security and peace in the Indo-Pacific, and it will continue.”
An image of US marines raising the Stars and Stripes on the island became one of the most famous photos of World War II, and the battle has inspired numerous books and movies.
The ceremony was about “confirming post-war reconciliation between Japan and the United States and praying for further friendship through joint memorial and tribute activities for the war dead,” the Japanese government said.
It was also attended by Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani, who is due to hold talks with Hegseth in Tokyo today.
Nakatani said that the discussions would touch on “sharing recognition on regional issues” and “measures to further strengthen responsiveness and deterrence.”
Japan and the US are each other’s top foreign investors, and 54,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, mostly in Okinawa, east of Taiwan.
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