Ceremony Held for Starting Shuri Castle Rebuilding

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Nov. 4 (Jiji Press)--A groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of the work to rebuild the "Seiden" main hall of Shuri Castle in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, some three years after a massive fire devastated the local landmark.

At the ceremony, held on Thursday, about 240 participants, including Naoki Okada, minister in charge of issues related to Okinawa, and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, prayed for the safety of the reconstruction work, which is planned to be finished in autumn 2026.

"The central government will work on the rebuilding responsibly," Okada said in an address at the ceremony.

Tamaki said, "We'll surely proceed (with the reconstruction) so that Shuri Castle will be more appealing than before being burned down."

The central and prefectural governments plan to make public the process of rebuilding the castle in Naha, Okinawa's capital, with the aim of helping promote local tourism that has been seriously damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]