This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6224870.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Japan renames island of Iwo Jima | Japan renames island of Iwo Jima |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A Japanese island that was the scene of one of the fiercest battles of World War II has been renamed to reflect the wishes of its original inhabitants. | A Japanese island that was the scene of one of the fiercest battles of World War II has been renamed to reflect the wishes of its original inhabitants. |
| Iwo Jima has now become the island of Iwo To, as it was known before the war. | Iwo Jima has now become the island of Iwo To, as it was known before the war. |
| The battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 saw 100,000 US troops attack 22,000 entrenched Japanese soldiers. | The battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 saw 100,000 US troops attack 22,000 entrenched Japanese soldiers. |
| The battle produced one of the most enduring images of the war, showing US troops raising the Stars and Stripes on the island's highest point. | The battle produced one of the most enduring images of the war, showing US troops raising the Stars and Stripes on the island's highest point. |
| Evacuated | Evacuated |
| The island was the first Japanese territory attacked directly by ground troops in the war. | The island was the first Japanese territory attacked directly by ground troops in the war. |
| Most of the Japanese soldiers died in battle rather than be taken prisoner. | Most of the Japanese soldiers died in battle rather than be taken prisoner. |
| The photograph is considered one of the most famous of WWII | The photograph is considered one of the most famous of WWII |
| The Americans occupied the island after the war, and returned it to Japan in 1968. | The Americans occupied the island after the war, and returned it to Japan in 1968. |
| In Japanese, the original name Iwo To is written with the same characters as Iwo Jima and means the same thing - Sulphur Island - but it is pronounced differently. | |
| The civilians who lived there were evacuated in 1944 as US forces advanced across the Pacific. | The civilians who lived there were evacuated in 1944 as US forces advanced across the Pacific. |
| Some Japanese navy officers who moved in to fortify the island mistakenly called it Iwo Jima, and the name stuck, AP says. | Some Japanese navy officers who moved in to fortify the island mistakenly called it Iwo Jima, and the name stuck, AP says. |
| The Associated Press photographer who took the iconic Stars and Stripes photograph after the battle, Joe Rosenthal, died last year aged 94. | The Associated Press photographer who took the iconic Stars and Stripes photograph after the battle, Joe Rosenthal, died last year aged 94. |