Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako made a visit to Ioto, widely known as Iwo Jima, Monday, to pay tribute to those who died in the fierce battle on the Pacific island 80 years ago.

The day trip is the first in a string of the imperial couple's memorial visits in Japan planned for this year, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

After leaving on a government plane from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, the couple arrived at the Maritime Self-Defense air station on the island, part of the Tokyo village of Ogasawara.

The couple visited the Tenzan Ireihi monument, erected by the central government to remember over 20,000 Japanese people who died on the island during the battle in the final stages of the Pacific War, part of World War II, and the Iwoto Islander Peace Cemetery Park, built by Ogasawara for the islanders who perished after being conscripted as civilian workers for the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army.

The couple also stopped by Chinkon no Oka, a memorial facility built by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for both the Japanese and U.S. war dead.

The emperor and empress will then meet with bereaved families of the war dead and former islanders.

Between February and March 1945, the battle between Japanese and U.S. soldiers raged on the island, claiming the lives of nearly 30,000 people from both sides.

Monday's trip to the island is the first by an emperor and an empress since the current Emperor Emeritus Akihito's and Empress Emerita Michiko's visit in 1994.

However, more than 80 years later, former residents of Iwo Jima remain unable to return home, as the government continues to prioritize military use of the island.

Shun Ishihara, a professor of historical sociology at Meiji Gakuin University and an expert on Iwo Jima’s history, said the island still bears the visible scars of war.

“This is a place where the consequences of war are exceptionally pronounced,” he said. “The government needs to respond to the wishes of those who were forced off their land.”

After the war, Iwo Jima was placed under U.S. administration, along with the rest of the Ogasawara island chain. Although the islands were returned to Japan in 1968, the government declared in 1984 that permanent civilian resettlement on Iwo Jima was “difficult,” citing volcanic activity and the expansion of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) facilities.

Today, the island functions as an SDF base, and access is restricted. Former residents, who were forcibly evacuated in 1944, may only return for a few brief visits each year to pay respects at family graves.

Ishihara criticized the long-standing policy, saying it’s abnormal that residents have been barred for national security reasons since World War II, through the Cold War and into the present day. “The impact of the war continues today without things being properly settled,” he said.

In February, a group of former residents and descendants submitted a formal request to the land ministry, calling for a phased return to the island. The group urged the government to begin with small steps — improving access and infrastructure — noting that SDF personnel are already stationed on the island.

During interviews with former residents, Ishihara said he often heard them say, “We want to have a class reunion on the island.”

“That simple phrase captures their deepest hopes,” he said. “Most of the first generation of evacuees are now in their late 80s or 90s. The government should at least create an opportunity for them to reunite and share memories — even if just for a week.”