A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker is under fire for describing a memorial dedicated to female student nurses who were killed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa as “terrible” and “rewriting history.”

Upper House member Shoji Nishida, 66, who said education about the battle has been “ridiculous,” has stood by his remarks.

But he has found few allies willing to back him up.

Critics, academics and fellow politicians said Nishida is the one in need of a proper history lesson or at least some tact.

The Himeyuri (star lily) Student Corps, consisting of girls from two schools in Okinawa Prefecture, were mobilized as nursing personnel for the bloodiest battle of the Pacific theater of the war.

The memorial, the Himeyuri-no-to in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, commemorates 227 people, including student nurses, who died in the fighting.

The year after the end of World War II, local residents erected a monument over a natural cave called “gama” where many of the victims were buried. The current cenotaph was built in 1957.

On May 3, Nishida gave a speech at a symposium held in the Okinawa prefectural capital of Naha, where he criticized the cenotaph.

The symposium was sponsored by the Okinawa Branch of Jinja Honcho (association of Shinto shrines), the Okinawa Branch of Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership, and the Okinawa prefectural headquarters of Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference).

It was co-sponsored by the Okinawa prefectural chapter of the LDP.

According to several attendees, Nishida said he had visited Himeyuri-no-to “decades ago.”

“I don’t know how it is now, but it is terrible,” he said.

He took issue with what he said was the context of an explanation written on the memorial: “The Japanese army kept coming in, and the Himeyuri unit ended up dying. And then the Americans came in and liberated Okinawa.”

He continued: “In the case of Okinawa, there has been quite a ridiculous education, including the interpretation of the ground battle. We have to create a history that we can accept.”

After his remarks were reported, there was a strong backlash from Okinawa Prefecture, those involved with Himeyuri, and even the LDP prefectural chapter.

Nishida held a news conference in Tokyo on May 7 and acknowledged the content of his remarks.

“I said that the people of Okinawa could not be saved in the context that the war started when the Japanese military entered (Okinawa), and that peace was restored when the U.S. entered,” he said.

Regarding the specific monument he referred to in the May 3 speech, Nishida said: “I don’t remember (it). I remember entering a cave-like area and seeing the exhibit. At least, that’s the impression that remains strong.”

Nishida indicated that he would not retract his remarks.

NONEXISTENT THINGS

It was unclear which written explanation had offended Nishida.

Near Himeyuri-no-to in Itoman is a stone monument erected in 1975 that describes the origin of the memorial.

The monument states that as U.S. forces closed in, the army hospital ordered the nursing corps to disband. Many of the students died in enemy attacks or were trapped on the cliffs.

There is no mention that “students died because of the Japanese military and were liberated by U.S. forces.”

Next to the stone monument is the Himeyuri Peace Museum, which was opened in 1989 by surviving students.

Chokei Futenma, director of the museum, spoke to reporters on May 7 about Nishida’s criticism of the history explanation.

“There have been no such descriptions or displays in the past or present,” he said. “I am very skeptical because (Nishida) is talking about nonexistent things as if they do exist.”

The museum’s exhibits were renewed in 2004 and 2021. But ever since its opening, the museum has focused on conveying the reality of the Battle of Okinawa and the nature of wartime education that sent young students to the battlefield.

The contents are based on the testimonies of Himeyuri survivors.

According to Futenma, many survivors had remained silent for a long time after the war, feeling “sorry for having survived.”

However, nearly 40 years after the war, they began fund-raising activities, established the museum, and began to share their experiences with the public in hopes of preventing a recurrence of that tragedy.

Futenma said Nishida’s comments deny history “and trample on the wishes of these women who have testified and built the museum with their blood-soaked hearts.”

“I hope that (Nishida) will read the testimonies of the survivors, visit the museum again, and confront the issue with sincerity and honesty,” he added.

‘OBVIOUS LACK OF STUDY’

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki expressed his indignation over Nishida’s remarks on May 7, telling reporters, “This is a gross misconception.”

Masahiro Itokazu, secretary-general of Komeito’s Okinawa prefectural headquarters, said Nishida’s comments go well beyond expressing a personal opinion.

“It is an obvious lack of study, and it is unbelievable that (Nishida) spoke so openly in front of the Okinawan people,” Itokazu said.

Hajime Zaha, secretary-general of the LDP’s Okinawa chapter, said it “has no choice but to protest” and would ask Nishida to retract his remarks.

“(Nishida) should have avoided using expressions that would have provoked opposition from the people of Okinawa,” Zaha told reporters.

Zaha, who attended Nishida’s May 3 speech, was asked why he did not protest on the spot.

“When I thought about it later, I understood that the message was conveyed with insufficient consideration for the victims,” he said.

The Okinawa prefectural assembly is considering a protest resolution, and all factions, including the LDP, are expected to support it.

THE HISTORY ISSUE

Ryuichi Narita, history professor emeritus at Japan Women’s University, said politicians have repeatedly used their interpretation of history to their own advantage.

“As we approach the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and an era in which those who actually experienced the war are no longer with us, it becomes increasingly important to carefully consider the process of historical research.”

(This article was written by Kazufumi Kaneko, Taishi Sasayama, Kazuyuki Ito, Kazuki Uechi and Satsuki Tanahashi.)