Japanese soldiers killed in WWII remembered

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 24, 2019): Japanese soldiers killed in WWII remembered

SURIGAO CITY – Local officials and representatives of various sectors here joined veterans of World War II in remembering the Japanese soldiers who perished in the area.

The laying of wreath and prayer ceremonies at the Japanese Cremation Site inside the Surigao del Norte National High School (SNNHS) ground on Thursday morning were part of the three-day commemoration of the Battle of Surigao Strait that took place 75 years ago.

The activity was graced by commander Michinori Fukuda, the Assistant Attache of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, and Capt. Takeshi Ishida, a retired pilot who now heads the Japanese Association in Cebu.

Commander Fukuda is regarded as “the first Japanese soldier in uniform to set foot in Surigao City after World War II.”

Retired Royal Adm. Guy Richmond Griffiths of HMAS Shropshire, one of the gun cruisers who engaged the Japanese Navy during the Battle of Surigao Strait, and Australian World War II veteran David Henry Mattiskie, were also present during the commemoration.

Griffiths is now 97 years of age while Mattiskie is 96.

More than 500 dead bodies of Japanese soldiers and Navy personnel were cremated in the site during the war.

The spot was chosen because it was less vulnerable to the attacks of Surigao guerilla resistant fighters and close to the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment of the 30th Division of the Japanese Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Gyosaku Morozumi.

The Japanese soldiers and Navy personnel were killed during the successive air raids in Surigao City on Sept. 4, 1944, conducted by the US Navy Task Force 38 under Adm. William F. Halsey.

In his message, Commander Fukuda prayed for the repose of the souls “of all who lost their lives” during the war in Surigao City.
“We never forget that the peace we enjoy at this moment is the precious sacrifice of those who perished during the war,” Fukuda said.

He added that Japan, since the end of the war, has taken the lessons of history deeply into its heart.
“We must never repeat the devastation of war,” Fukuda said.

During Thursday’s commemoration, the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Japanese Association of Cebu and SNNHS was signed.

The MOA is a collaboration to protect and preserve the Japanese Cremation Site.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1084087