Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, on Thursday wrapped up their two-day visit to Okinawa Prefecture to mourn those killed in the Battle of Okinawa 80 years ago during the closing months of World War II.
It was Princess Aiko's first visit to Okinawa Prefecture, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation, according to a close aide.
On Thursday morning, the family visited a monument in Naha for the victims of the 1944 sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, and laid bouquets of white flowers as they bowed deeply. They later visited the Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum.
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