IWO JIMA, Japan, April 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and 
Empress Masako on Monday made a rare visit to the tiny Pacific island of Iwo 
Jima to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The Japanese island, around 1,250 kilometres (780 miles) south of Tokyo, was 
the scene of a five-week battle between wartime enemies Japan and the United 
States in 1945.

Nearly all of Japan's 21,000 soldiers on the island were killed during the 
fight, while the US side saw more than 6,800 fatalities and 19,000 wounded.

The royal couple bowed deeply as they offered flowers and ritually poured 
water at a memorial for the war dead as rain fell on the island, which is 
known in Japan as Iwo-To.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited 
the island together last month for a ceremony to mark 80 years since the 
Battle of Iwo Jima.

The battle inspired movies and books but is perhaps best associated with one 
of the most famous photos of World War II -- showing a group of US Marines 
raising the American flag on the rubble-covered surface of Mount Suribachi.

Today the island is off-limits for civilians and decayed warship parts litter 
its brown beaches, while rust-covered abandoned tanks sit in lush greenery.

Efforts to find the remains of the war dead continue on the remote volcanic 
island, where an AFP journalist said Monday that a smell of sulphur permeates 
the air.

Naruhito's parents, Emperor-emeritus Akihito and his wife Michiko, visited 
the island in 1994.