Ukishima Maru Incident

The Ukishima Maru, a 4,730-ton former passenger-cargo ship in naval service, left Ominato in Aomori Prefecture on the night of 22 August 1945 bound for Busan, carrying Koreans who had been working on military construction in the Shimokita area, together with their families. Following an order restricting the movement of large vessels after 24 August, the ship put in to Maizuru.

At about 17:20 on 24 August, as it entered Maizuru Bay off the Shimosabaga district, an explosion broke the ship in two and it sank. According to the Japanese government's announcement there were 3,735 Korean passengers and 255 crew aboard, and 524 Koreans and 25 crew members died.

The government has attributed the sinking to a mine laid by US forces. Some survivors and Korean researchers have argued that the ship was deliberately blown up and that the number of passengers and deaths was far higher than announced; these claims have not been established, and the passenger total remains disputed. In 2024 the Japanese government provided passenger-list materials to South Korea.

In 2001 the Kyoto District Court ordered the state to pay a total of 45 million yen to fifteen plaintiffs for breach of its duty to transport passengers safely, while rejecting demands for an apology; the Osaka High Court overturned this in 2003 and the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal in 2004. A memorial statue was erected overlooking the site in 1978 and a memorial service is held there each 24 August.