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Fitial joins memorial service at Banzai
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Posted on Nov 08 2008
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial welcomed and thanked 143 members of the Shikogakuen Mission from Japan as he and his wife and other government officials and business leaders joined the annual Peace Ceremony Service yesterday at Banzai Cliff.
The ceremony was led by Rev. Masakazu Kawakami, nephew of Rev. Seizan Kawakami, the founder of Shikogakuen Mission.
The Mission is a religious organization started in 1945.
The Japanese delegation offered prayers, songs and flowers at the Shiko Gakuen Monument, which the members have been doing for the past 22 years.
The occasion was also to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the monument, which was built in 1988 for all victims of the Battle of Saipan during World War II—not just the Japanese but also the Americans and the natives of the Mariana Islands.
Fitial said it gives great comfort to know that after long years of that terrible war in 1944, “many of you have never forgotten” it.
“You kept this vital tradition of faith and remembrance alive by coming here every year to pay tribute and respect to those lost in battle, and not only to remember but also to pray for lasting peace and harmony in our world, that we may reduce and possibly even eliminate the needless loss of life through such terrible armed conflicts,” Fitial said.
The governor acknowledged the group’s effort to remind everyone that each may gain a greater understanding of each other as human beings, regardless of race, culture or national identity.
“That peace and understanding will triumph in this world for future generations to enjoy,” Fitial said.
He thanked them for their annual visit to honor the dead, pray for peace and honor this sacred ground where thousands perished during the war.
Fitial joined the group in honoring the peace monument as a reminder of the legacy of the late Reverend Teruhiko Kawakami, the 3rd president for Shikogakuen Mission, “and as a tribute to global peace and understanding.”
“So many years after the end of World War II, we still see so many armed conflicts in the world today, especially in the Middle East. I pray that the world may learn more of the sentiments we honor and express here,” he said.
