By Mary Whitfill
Features Editor
Famous WWII battle scene of Iwo Jima has been renamed Iwo To, as it was known before the war.
The battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 consisted of 100,000 US troops attacking 22,000 Japanese soldiers, resulting in a devastating loss to the Japanese.
The two names both mean the same thing in Japanese – Sulfur Island.
While surviving evacuees of the war are praising the change, many say that it cheapens the memory and the historical content that IS Iwo Jima.
All maps released in Japan as of September 2007 must contain the name Iwo To, but a current Google Maps search of ‘Iwo To’ brings up a single search result: Iwo Jima.
Despite best efforts, modern technology will be the downfall of the Japanese when it comes to trying to erase the memory of the American victory. On maps and in text books, print whatever you want, call it whatever you want. On the internet, what you say will be preserved forever.
The Japanese are attempting to shed a better light upon themselves, hoping that with a new name, the world will forget about their embarrassing defeat.
Will the US rename our losses in attempts of making the world forget?
Should they?
Would it work?