Images: Palau: After Tasting War, South Pacific Paradise Committed to Peace

The damaged remains of the Japanese military’s communications headquarters on Palau, with an anti-aircraft gun. (© Julian Ryall)

President Surangel S. Whipps Jr at his office in Koror. (© Julian Ryall)

Japan has been a generous donor of aid to Palau, with a roadside marker in Koror commemorating the completion of a road project in the capital. (© Julian Ryall)

Sunken warships and aircraft are a legacy of the fierce fighting that took place across Palau in 1944. (© Julian Ryall)

The UNESCO-listed Rock Islands, Palau (© Pixta)

Funds from the Nippon Foundation have also gone to support police launches that operate around Palau. (© Julian Ryall)

Japanese-made school buses are a regular sight throughout Palau. Many of the school buses in Koror were donated to Palau by Japan as a symbol of friendship. (© Julian Ryall)

The people of Palau have a deep gratitude to Japan for the assistance that it has provided, such as to fund improvements in the water supply system in Koror. (© Julian Ryall)

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko offer flowers at a cenotaph on Peleliu on April 9, 2015, to pay respect to victims of the battle between Japanese and American forces there. (Pool photo; © Jiji)

Sunao Ichihara, a retired colonel in Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, was on Peleliu in September to help in the search for the remains of Japanese servicemen killed in the 1944 battle for the island. (© Julian Ryall)

Excavation work gets under way in a clearing in the jungle that is believed to be a mass grave of more than 1,000 Japanese servicemen. (© Julian Ryall)