GRANDCHILDREN INHERIT IWO JIMA MEMORIES

Grandchildren of former residents of the war-torn Pacific island of Iwo Jima, formally Iwoto, have launched activities to inherit the memories of the island, which used to be rich in seafood and agricultural products.

The grandchildren formed a group in 2018 to work on keeping the history and the culture of the island, located some 1,250 kilometers south of Tokyo, from fading away according to Jiji Press.

On Saturday, former Iwo Jima residents commemorated the 75th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, without being able to return to their home island after their forced evacuation during the war.

Iwo Jima became part of Japanese territory in 1891. The island, together with Kita-Iwojima, had a population of some 1,200.

After the U.S. military occupied the Mariana Islands and a battle on Iwo Jima became inevitable, residents of the island were forced to evacuate to mainland Japan in July 1944. Iwo Jima became the site of a fierce battle between Japanese and U.S. forces in February 1945, with the number of casualties on the Japanese side reaching around 21,900.