Japanese dignitaries visit York to commemorate battle

One of the most significant battles of the Second World War, Kohima, has been remembered during a visit by Japanese dignitaries to Imphal Barracks in York.

The Battle of Kohima in North East India, close to its border with Burma, took place between 4th April and 22nd June 1944 and marked the limit of the Japanese Army’s advance into India. It left around 7,000 Japanese troops dead and 4,000 British and Indian Army casualties.

The visit to the Kohima Museum was organised by the Burma Campaign Society (BCS) with the help of Mr Kenichi Okuyama, Deputy Mayor of Shonai-Cho in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Shonai-Cho is the birthplace of Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato who commanded the Japanese troops at Kohima.