India unveils monument to dead from brutal World War II battle

Survivors recall Imperial Japanese Army's failed push toward Delhi

20240510 Seiichi Suzuki

Seiichi Suzuki, chief representative of the India liaison office at Dai Nippon Printing, had a great-uncle who fought in northeastern India during World War II. (Photo by Satoshi Iwaki)

SATOSHI IWAKI and DOMINIC FAULDER, Nikkei staff writers

KOHIMA, India/BANGKOK -- Eighty years ago in northeastern India, the Imperial Japanese Army fought what is widely seen as one of the most reckless campaigns of World War II. This week, officials gathered in a ceremony to mark the completion of a memorial to those who died in the offensive's bloody Battle of Kohima.

The Kohima Peace Memorial was unveiled on Wednesday in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland state and the scene of some of the worst fighting in the conflict. The state's chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, and Japan's ambassador to India, Hiroshi Suzuki, were among those who attended.

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