The Okinawan War Memorial Day is on June 23 , the day of the suicide of Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, commander of the 32nd Imperial Japanese Army. (Ushijima's suicide actually took place the day before on June 22nd.). But it was not the day the Battle of Okinawa ended. Confrontations between the United States military and Imperial Japanese forces continued after June 23rd.
The U.S. forces announced the end of the battle on July 2, 1945, but pockets of resistance from isolated Imperial Japanese troops continued. The strategies for getting them under control continued even after the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945. As a result, substantial conflicts occurred until the formal surrender of the remaining Japanese forces on September 7, 1945.
In June of the same year, even as the battles were still being conducted on Okinawa, the first schools opened in the internment camps of each region and classes were being taught. Newspapers were published from the camps as well. In the camps, food and provisions were offered free of charge and at the same time Okinawans began to learn about the prosperity of Americans and about democracy.
On islands where the U.S. forces made no landings during the Battle of Okinawa, such as on the Yaeyama Islands, the residents began to build democratic organizations by themselves. But in December U.S. forces were stationed there and the rule of the military government began.