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2. Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff
The Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II was a major conflict between the armed forces of Japan and those of the United States, the British Empire, the Netherlands and France. Two of the largest battles included the Battle of Saipan and Battle of Okinawa. The 82-day-long Battle of Okinawa was one of the deadliest in all of World War II. Japan lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies suffered more than 50,000 casualties. Simultaneously, more than 100,000 civilians were killed, wounded, or committed suicide, which was approximately one-quarter of the entire population. The one chilling factor that both of these battles have in common is the mass suicide of Japanese civilians, usually accomplished by leaping from the steep cliff faces of the islands. After the Allied forces captured Saipan, the soldiers erected a civilian prisoner encampment. They were told that over 25,000 Japanese people lived on the island, but it was soon evident that thousands were missing.
After searching the island, Allied soldiers made the grisly discovery that Japanese citizens were committing suicide by jumping from Saipan’s Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff. It has since been realized that Emperor Hirohito personally found the threat of the defection of Japanese civilians disturbing. During the Battle of Saipan, Hirohito sent out an imperial order encouraging the civilians of Saipan to commit suicide. The order authorized the commander of Saipan to promise civilians who died an equal spiritual status in the afterlife. Over 10,000 Japanese people committed suicide in the last days of the conflict. In Okinawa, this issue is at the center of an ongoing disagreement between the local government and Japan’s national government. In 2007, a mass rally erupted in Okinawa when the Japanese government announced that they were changing the wording in school text books regarding the suicides. Okinawa ultimately won a court battle and the books were restored, using the statement that the citizens “were forced into mass suicides by the Japanese military.” This was partially achieved by evidence that implicated the Japanese military in distributing grenades for the purpose of suicide.
Do Not Enter
The island of Saipan is said to be haunted by ghosts. Today, the land is officially the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is littered with underground shelters and tunnels that were used during the war. In many cases, mass suicides were performed in the bunkers or massacres took place as US troops dropped explosives into them. This is said to have left a lasting impression on the Saipan underground, with the sound of artillery fire, explosions, and screams routinely spreading over the land. However, the majority of the strange activity has been reported on the cliffs surrounding the limestone covered Mount Tapochau, located at 1,560 ft (480 m). One of the drops has been given the nickname Suicide Cliff, while the other is named Banzai Cliff.
The beauty of Saipan makes it a popular tourist destination and many people have claimed supernatural experiences. At all times of day, but more prevalent at night, human figures can be seen leaning over the cliffs and jumping. Children can be heard crying and sporadic gusts of wind loom over the area. Unlike other ghostly phenomenon, these spirits appear to be determined to jump off the cliff and don’t notice human contact. People have also reported violent visions, often stemming from the scene of dead bodies on the rocks below. If you search the Internet for the ghosts of Saipan, you will find many links to a video that was recorded near Banzai Cliff. It has been claimed that the video shows a ghost jumping from the cliff. Check it out for yourself. If anything, the video gives a good perspective of what this area of Saipan looks like.