Iloilo City marks Japanese War Dead Memorial rites

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By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo City Government, in partnership with Panay Nippi Kai, Inc. (PNKI), held a solemn ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, to commemorate the Japanese War Dead Memorial at Sunburst Park in Iloilo City.

The ceremony honored Japanese soldiers and civilians who perished during World War II in Panay.

Mayor Raisa Treñas said the memorial serves not only as a tribute to the lives lost but also as a reminder of the resilience of nations that chose peace and freedom over conflict.

Senator Ayaka Shiomura, a member of Japan’s House of Councillors in the National Diet, personally attended the event.

In her message, Shiomura noted that even after 80 years, the impacts of World War II are still felt by survivors.

“If the war had not happened, perhaps children could have lived happily with their parents,” Shiomura said.

The Japanese War Dead Memorial was first established in 1976 through the efforts of the Iloilo Association in Tokyo and Iloilo, with support from local second-generation Japanese descendants.

In 2025, the memorial was restored in time for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Other notable guests included former Senate President Franklin Drilon and Norihiro Inomata, executive director of the Philippine Nikkei Jin Legal Support Center.

Also present were two centenarian World War II veterans and members of the Nikkei Jin Families of Iloilo, descendants of Japanese immigrants who settled in the city before or during the war.