–Japanese and U.S. Distinguished Visitors and guests gathered for the Reunion of Honor Ceremony at Iwo To, March 25, 2023, to pay
tribute to one another and those who sacrificed their lives during the battle of Iwo Jima. The Iwo Jima Reunion of Honor is an opportunity for Japanese and U.S. veterans and their families, and service members from both nations to remember the battle while recognizing 78 years of peace and prosperity in the Japan–U.S. alliance.

“While this island may have divided us in 1945, I like to think that in some way it helps unite us today,” said Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David H. Berger. “Holding this reunion each year is a tangible reminder of the importance of peace. It reminds us that conflict must be avoided at all costs and that aggression is something to deter, not demonstrate.”

The Reunion of Honor Ceremony is a testament to the strength of the Japan–U.S. Alliance and the importance of their partnership.

“The tens of thousands on each side, American and Japanese, who suffered and sacrificed for their homelands, inch by inch and hill by hill, would have likely found it impossible to imagine 78 years ago what the U.S.-Japan relationship would become today: the envy of the world,” said U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel. “The idea that American and Japanese forces would one day train together, serve together, and sacrifice together would have once been prohibitive. We chose to make it possible.”

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第 78 回 日米硫黄島戦没者合同慰霊追悼顕彰式

沖縄県海兵隊基地キャンプ・バトラー -日米の賓客が 2023 年 3 月 25 日、硫黄島での戦没者慰霊追 悼顕彰式に硫黄島の戦いで命を犠牲にした人々に敬意を表するために集まりました。硫黄島での戦没 者慰霊追悼顕彰式は、日米両国の退役軍人とその家族、要人、指導者、軍人が、日米同盟の 78 年に わたる平和と繁栄を認識しながら、この戦いを思い起こす機会となっています。

海兵隊司令官デビッド・H・バーガー大将は、「この島は 1945 年に私たちを分断したかもしれないが、何らかの形で今日の私たちを結びつけるのに役立っていると思いたい。」と述べた。「毎年この式典を 開催することは、平和の重要性を具体的に思い起こさせるものであります。紛争は何としても避けなけ ればならないこと、そして侵略は抑止するものであって、実証するものではないということです。」

戦没者合同慰霊追悼顕彰式は、日米同盟の強さとパートナーシップの重要性を証明するものです。ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使は、「日米両国の何万人もの人々が、一寸一寸、一山一山、祖国 のために苦しみ、犠牲となりました。今日の日米関係が世界の羨望の的となるとは、78 年前には想像 もつかなかったでしょう。」と述べました。「日米の軍隊が一緒に訓練し、一緒に奉仕し、一緒に犠牲に なるという考えは、かつては不可能だったでしょう。私たちはそれを可能にすることを選んだのです。」

To view imagery from the Reunion of Honor visit this link:

戦没者合同慰霊追悼顕彰式の画像は、こちらのリンクからご覧いただけます。:

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger, the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, speaks with U.S. Marines before the 78th Reunion of Honor ceremony, Iwo To, Japan, March 25th, 2023. The Reunion of Honor ceremony is held annually to bring together leaders from the U.S. and Japan, veterans, distinguished guests, and their family members to pay tribute to service members lost during the Battle of Iwo Jima, and is a testament to the ironclad U.S.-Japan alliance which has blossomed over the past 78 years. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sebastian Riveraaponte)

Veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima lay a ceremonial wreath during the 78th Reunion of Honor ceremony, Iwo To, Japan, March 25, 2023. The Reunion of Honor ceremony is held annually to bring together leaders from the U.S. and Japan, veterans, distinguished guests, and their family members to pay tribute to service members lost during the Battle of Iwo Jima, and is a testament to the ironclad U.S.-Japan alliance which has blossomed over the past 78 years. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Federico Marquez)

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