Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. With Okinawa being the site of the last major land battle, which killed more civilians than the combined combatants of both sides in the Western Pacific, there will be increasing attention to the issue of war and peace over the coming year.
The Battle of Okinawa is usually considered to have begun in late March 1945, with the Allied attack on the Kerama Islands, now a popular spot for diving and snorkeling and an easy day trip from Naha.
In fact, however, the Battle of Okinawa really began 75 years ago today, on Oct. 10, 1944, with the bombing of Naha and other locations in the Nansei Islands.