Photo/Illutration Cape Kyan, foreground, was the site of fierce fighting at the end of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A young girl stares at droplets of water dripping through her thin fingers as if they are lost lives. She is surrounded by other girls, including one crawling on the ground with an empty look on her face and another with her arm in a sling.

I was moved by a painting titled "Cape Kyan."

Known for "The Hiroshima Panels," a series of paintings on the consequences of the atomic bombing, the artist couple Iri and Toshi Maruki also created 14 paintings, including this one, about the Battle of Okinawa in the 1980s.

I was overwhelmed by their hellish depictions of war, such as a massacre of locals conducted by the Imperial Japanese Army and a mass suicide.

Iri, who was born in Hiroshima, and Toshi, who hailed from Hokkaido, came to Okinawa Prefecture when they were approaching the last years of their lives.

I was wondering why the paintings of the Battle of Okinawa drawn by "outsiders," so to speak, resonated with me so much.

I thought I understood the reason after I watched a documentary film tracing the production process of the couple's works and read director Atsunori Kawamura's notes.

The filmmaker said Iri and Toshi threw themselves into collecting accounts and documents, spending five years to complete the paintings.

According to the director, survivors of the Himeyuri (star lily) Student Corps accompanied the Marukis to the cape and showed them how they ran about trying to escape so that the artist couple could re-create the scene in the painting that I cited in the opening paragraph.

The couple also visited the site of the massacre and other locations, while they also listened to stories of war survivors.

The Marukis faced their suffering and pain head-on with sincerity.

Those who supported the couple looked lively on the screen as they recounted their memories.

The central government's stance toward a recent spate of sex crimes involving U.S. servicemen stationed in Okinawa Prefecture marks a contrast.

Not only did it not face the pain of Okinawa Prefecture head-on, but also it didn't even inform the prefectural government of these incidents.

It almost looks as if central government officials are outsiders as they only gave brusque responses.

The government forced Okinawans to suffer, pressed the prefecture to host military bases and, to top it all off, made such blatant gestures.

It crucially lacks the decency to be considerate to Okinawans and also the imagination to empathize with their pain.

—The Asahi Shimbun, July 12

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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