In the last year of World War II, the Japanese Navy deployed many shinyo
explosive motorboat squadrons along the coast of mainland Japan in order to
defend against an anticipated Allied invasion. This monument remembers the
shinyo squadron deployed to Odotsu along the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture. The
top half of the monument has the inscription of "Prayer of Peace," and the
bottom half has the following inscription:
Site of Former Navy 117th Shinyo Special Attack Squadron Base
In April 1945 at the end of the Pacific War, the 117th Shinyo Special Attack
Squadron Base was established here at Odotsu. Fifty young crewmen from ages
sixteen to nineteen, members of the 19th Yokaren (Navy's Preparatory Flight
Training Program) Class at Mie Air Base and third-year graduates, worked day and
night with intensive training. The shinyo special attack boat was a motorboat
made of veneer with a length of 5 meters and width of 1.2 meters. It was a
special attack weapon that would crash into an enemy ship with 250 kilograms of
explosives loaded in the front part, and the crewmen themselves would also
explode and die in the attack. With the passage of 42 years since that time,
Japan has achieved phenomenal economic growth and has flourished as a democratic
country filled with freedom and peace.
Japan will never again start such a
terrible war. This monument looks back on those times, honors the spirits of our
many friends who died in battle, and offers a sincere prayer for eternal peace.
