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Landowner hopes people stay away from WWII landmarkDate Posted: 2002-09-21 Over the years the site has attracted hundreds of visitors from mainland, who have to come to pray for their relatives who perished during the battle. Some school group tours have even visited the site as part of their studies of the war. Earlier the owner of the land welcomed the visitors and even acted as a tour guide, but as the number of visitors increased, he decided that he could not handle the situation. “The place is actually rather dangerous with many rocks and caves and with no paths to guide the visitors. I cannot take the responsibility of their safety,” the landowner says. He says that if local authorities want to preserve the site for historical significance he has nothing against the idea. “But someone, the prefecture of the government should pay for the cleaning and maintenance. I cannot do that myself,” he says. Gushikami Village Mayor Shinjo Moromisato agrees. “The trench is an important historical site. “The site should be taken care by either the prefecture or the state. We should preserve it for future generations so that they can learn from the past,” he says. Prefecture officials say that they cannot provide funds because the land is private. But all agree that if something is not done, the time will destroy all traces of the past. |
       
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