Until the Very End: Heisei Emperor Visits Memorial for Civilian Sailors Lost During War

Seen here in this Mainichi.JP photo are the outgoing Imperial couple Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko paying their respects to a Memorial dedicated to the 60,000 civilian sailors who were pressed into service by the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII. The Heisei Emperor who Abdicates this April arrived to present prayers and white chrysanthemums to offer these lost sailors of which 30,000 of them were in their teens. With the Combined Fleet on the run after the Battle of Midway, there were few naval vessels to protect these civilian ships which were forced to carry supplies and personnel. This is the Imperial couple's eighth visit to the memorial since it was erected in 1971. Dutiful until the end, the Heisei Emperor has worked tirelessly to heal the wounds of the Showa Era and has never wavered. It is said that in a press conference in December 2015 he said this: "In those days, Japan lacked command of the air, and no battleships were available to escort the transport vessels. It gives me great pain to think of the feelings of those sailors who were forced to engage in such transport operations under those conditions." We at American Mishima will miss this kind gentile Emperor. We thank him and Empress Michiko for their lifetime efforts to promote peace.