The captain and crew of the French Navy destroyer Vendemiaire visited the city of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, Monday and held a memorial service for two French sailors who died there in 1846, following illness.
The ceremony was a symbolic gesture to honor a promise made by the navy 154 years ago to return to the Ryukyu Kingdom to collect the sailors' remains.
Those who attended the ceremony at the tombs in the city's Untembaru area included Capt. Olivier Beauchesne of the 2,950-ton destroyer, French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault Montagne, Nago Mayor Tateo Kishimoto and other local representatives.
To express their condolences, the captain and crew offered flowers at the graves and saluted. Their vessel meanwhile moored at a spot in Nago port that can be observed from the graves.