Tokashiki is another of the (mostly) unknown Kerama islands that lie in very close proximity to Okinawa. And like Kerama Retto, which we discussed yesterday, there’s a story that I think is worth relating. Kerama Retto was all about its fleet of suicide boats. The U.S. Army discovered them and, having destroyed them, took away a potential weapon that could have been used against the Navy’s landing forces. Tokashiki had suicide boats lying in wait as well but, unlike Kerama Retto, it wasn’t the U.S. that destroyed them.
It was the Japanese themselves.
The Japanese soldiers on this small island had been training for their first (and last) mission for a long time…some for several years. And they’d been on Tokashiki for nearly a year, waiting for the command to execute their missions (and, by extension, themselves). But when the U.S. Fleet arrived, they were further north than Japanese planners had anticipated, rendering the suicide boats far less effective. So when the order came, it was not an order to attack, but rather to scuttle their boats. The men were shocked and angry, but orders were orders, and orders were meant to be obeyed. The boats were sunk.
On March 27, 1945, U.S. forces landed on Tokashiki and fought a few skirmishes with the enemy, who were mostly armed with pistols and a few hand grenades. But for the most part, U.S. and Japanese forces were merely bystanders for one of the most grisly aspects of the entire Okinawan campaign…a tragedy that wasn’t endured by either of the opposing forces.
It was the native residents themselves.
As the Japanese retreated from the area, the citizens of Tokashiki began to blow themselves up with hand grenades. Over the next several days, nearly 400 civilians would commit suicide. There is some debate as to the cause. Some writers say the acts were spontaneous acts of self-immolation, but others disagree. They say the Japanese had left hand grenades with the people, while at the same time telling them stories (ranging from merely false to ridiculous), about how U.S. soldiers would slaughter the men, rape the women, and eat the children. And these poor people, having never seen the invading men before, had no inkling that what they were being told was rubbish.
But Tokashiki’s 400 civilian deaths were a mere drop in the bucket, as the 3-month conflict on Okinawa would see thousands and thousands of civilians, their minds filled with the same dread-laced stories, commit suicide in similar fashion.
Recommended Reading: Retribution
Today's History Lesson 