Hikari War Monument
Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
On November 25, 1944, the Japanese Navy established a kaiten
training base in Hikari City next to the Navy arsenal located there. Hikari was
the second kaiten base, located only about 20 kilometers away from the first
base at Ōtsushima. This war monument, erected in 1960, stands near the front
gate of the huge Takeda Pharmaceutical factory at the wartime location of the Navy
arsenal.
A sign near the beginning of the walkway up to the monument
gives the following history:
This monument was erected to remember the noble sacrifice of
the 738 Navy arsenal workers and mobilized students who died for their country
during an air raid on August 14, 1945, and the members of the kaiten human
torpedo special attack corps. Here we also remember and console the spirits of 38
crewmen of the Navy destroyers Kaba and Hagi who regrettably died
for their country during antiaircraft fire off the coast of Hikari City on July
24, 1945.
The citizens of Hikari City pray for the repose of the
spirits of those who died in this place giving their lives for our country in
its time of crisis. We also wish for eternal world peace.
Hikari City
Hikari has another monument specifically dedicated to
the men died in kaiten operations (see Hikari Kaiten
Monument).
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