Consul General YAMAJI offered flowers at the Filipino-Japanese Memorial
2022/5/17
Consul General, Hideki YAMAJI offered flowers at the Filipino-Japanese Memorial Monument at Plaza Independencia, located in front of Fort San Pedro, Cebu City on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
It is not known who founded this memorial, but this memorial says as follows;
“This memorial is dedicated to the Filipino and Japanese war dead during the last war. Time has taught us a lesson that no gains have been achieved by victories in war. On the other hand, Peace has brought about love and brotherhood amongst the peoples on this earth. It is therefore our hope that there shall be no more wars in the future to come upon us and that everlasting peace shall ever reign on this earth.”
There is the following unconfirmed information about this memorial.
“This memorial is believed to have been founded by those who were related with the Imperial Army 173rd Independent Infantry battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Seiichi ONISHI. The ONISHI battalion arrived in Cebu on January 22nd 1944. Their mission was to eradicate Filipino guerrillas and they succeeded in that mission. But, with the end of the World War II, Lieutenant Colonel ONISHI was accused by the local people as a BC class war criminal and faced the Far East Military Tribunal in Manila. At the tribunal, US Army Lieutenant Colonel James M. Cushing, who led the guerrillas, testified that ONISHI just followed orders from his superior, and was not guilty. Lieutenant Colonel ONISHI was not executed. He was released after being sent to the Sugamo prison.”
It is not known who founded this memorial, but this memorial says as follows;
“This memorial is dedicated to the Filipino and Japanese war dead during the last war. Time has taught us a lesson that no gains have been achieved by victories in war. On the other hand, Peace has brought about love and brotherhood amongst the peoples on this earth. It is therefore our hope that there shall be no more wars in the future to come upon us and that everlasting peace shall ever reign on this earth.”
There is the following unconfirmed information about this memorial.
“This memorial is believed to have been founded by those who were related with the Imperial Army 173rd Independent Infantry battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Seiichi ONISHI. The ONISHI battalion arrived in Cebu on January 22nd 1944. Their mission was to eradicate Filipino guerrillas and they succeeded in that mission. But, with the end of the World War II, Lieutenant Colonel ONISHI was accused by the local people as a BC class war criminal and faced the Far East Military Tribunal in Manila. At the tribunal, US Army Lieutenant Colonel James M. Cushing, who led the guerrillas, testified that ONISHI just followed orders from his superior, and was not guilty. Lieutenant Colonel ONISHI was not executed. He was released after being sent to the Sugamo prison.”