Akashi Air Raid Site (Akashi Park)

Akashi Park (兵庫県立明石公園), built around the ruins of Akashi Castle in central Akashi City, is the site of the Akashi Air Raid Memorial (明石空襲の碑), commemorating one of the most devastating bombing campaigns in the Kansai region during World War II.

The city of Akashi was strategically important because it housed the Kawasaki Aircraft Industries Akashi Plant (川崎航空機明石工場), one of Japan's most critical aircraft engine manufacturing facilities. The plant produced engines for the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("Tony") fighter, one of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's frontline interceptors.

The first raid struck on January 19, 1945 — the earliest major air raid in Hyogo Prefecture. Sixty-two B-29 Superfortresses dropped 154 tons of bombs in a little over 30 minutes, severely damaging the Kawasaki factory and killing 322 people according to official records. U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey records indicate that 39% of the engine assembly plant's roof area was destroyed, covering approximately 9.6 hectares.

Subsequent raids followed on June 9, June 22, and June 26, primarily targeting the aircraft factory (U.S. records also list a single-aircraft sortie on May 21, of which there is no record on the Akashi side). The June 9 raid largely missed the plant and struck the area around Akashi Park, where many residents who had taken shelter were killed; with 644 dead it was the deadliest of the raids. The most destructive attack came on July 7, 1945, when B-29s dropped over 1,045 tons of 500-pound incendiary bombs on the city center, killing 360 people and burning out most of central Akashi. The final raid occurred on July 28. In total, the raids killed 1,496 people, left 64 missing, seriously injured 464, and completely destroyed or burned 11,108 homes (a further 2,614 were partly destroyed), with total affected residents numbering 56,971; about 61% of the urban area was lost.

The Akashi Air Raid Memorial was erected on August 15, 1985 — the 40th anniversary of Japan's surrender — within the grounds of Akashi Park. The memorial stands as the central civic monument honoring all who perished in the raids. Annual memorial ceremonies are held at the site. Akashi Park itself, centered on the Edo-period castle ruins with its two surviving yagura towers (designated Important Cultural Properties), serves as a place of reflection and remembrance.