Dedication of the Okinawa Japan Temple
As World War II’s final battles raged in 1945, the Battle of Okinawa claimed the lives of 240,000 Japanese and U.S. servicemen and Okinawan civilians. Yet almost eight decades later, the island chain received a symbol of peace and unity: the Okinawa Japan Temple.
“I believe and I feel that this land of Okinawa is purified or sanctified by the blood of these ancestors and military personnel,” said Akira Yafuso, an early stake president in Okinawa. “And now it is so great to have a house of the Lord in Okinawa, to have a symbol of peace.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — who dedicated the Okinawa temple on Nov. 12, 2023 — said that “the gospel of Jesus Christ navigated its way through difficulties, through cultural differences and through language barriers to find itself established on the island of Okinawa.”
Japanese Latter-day Saints, he added, are “some of the most active temple-going, temple-attending, temple-worshipping Latter-day Saints in the whole world.” Local members of the Church would charter airplanes and travel around 4,000 miles to attend the Laie Hawaii Temple, dedicated in 1919, until the Tokyo Japan Temple was dedicated in 1980.
Elder Stevenson had previously served as a young missionary in the Japan Fukuoka Mission in 1974, as well as a presidency counselor and later president of the Asia North Area, which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. He and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson — also in attendance at the temple dedication — had also served as leaders in the Japan Nagoya Mission from 2004 to 2007.
One of the Stevensons' missionaries, Hajime Miyara, was promised in a final mission interview with Elder Stevenson that he would one day be a leader in Okinawa. When the Okinawa temple was dedicated two decades later, Miyara was serving as president of the Okinawa Japan Stake.
Miyara said the temple, as the house of the Lord, demands “kindness, unity, love, respect, charity, brotherly kindness. It is everything that we hope could happen to redeem people from the horrific things that were suffered by the people here. And not only is it for us who are living; it is also for our deceased ancestors — some of whom were right in the midst of those horrific things that took place.”
Today, Saints in both the Japanese-speaking Okinawa Japan Stake and the English-speaking Okinawa Japan Military District can equally partake in the blessing of a temple on the island. Nettie Francis, who served on the local temple dedication committee, said that Okinawa paints a “unique image of how the gospel can bring people together in peace.”
She continued, “The whole history of the Church in Okinawa has been this blending of the American military and the Japanese citizens. The temple is a symbol of peace and a symbol of healing for both sides.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Our hearts are full of gratitude for this Thy holy house and this historic day of its dedication. ... We stand on holy ground, on this island of Okinawa, consecrated by thousands of Thy children, many who suffered deprivation, hardship, even loss of life through the tragedy of war. Father, please accept our deepest expression of gratitude for the gift of peace and hope in Christ for each of them, their ancestors and posterity. We pray that through the great plan of happiness and the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair will be made right for all of Thy children.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Okinawa Japan Temple here.
Timeline of the Okinawa Japan Temple
The Okinawa temple was announced April 7, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were held on Dec. 5, 2020, and presided over by Elder Takashi Wada, president of the Asia North Area.
After an open house from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7, 2023, the Okinawa temple was dedicated by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Nov. 12, 2023.
Architecture and Design of the Okinawa Japan Temple
The Okinawa Japan Temple is a two-story building of 12,437 square feet. The structure consists of reinforced concrete with an exterior of Sunset Gold Chinese granite from Wenshang, Shandong Province. Atop this house of the Lord and toward the front is a tall tower with a square base and a long, arched window on each side.
Throughout the interior are floral designs inspired by the annual blossoming of trees in Okinawa. Flooring includes a combination of porcelain tiles, Branco do Mar limestone from Portugal, and Dekton Sasea ceramic tiles, as well as area rugs. An origami-inspired stair hall connects the building’s levels, with the second floor folding down to the first floor, making it appear to float from the adjacent wall.
Plants native to the region adorn the 0.55-acre site, including fountain palms, sago palms and Chinese hibiscus. Behind the temple is a Japanese rock garden. A waiting area for temple patrons was also added to an adjacent existing meetinghouse completed in 2013.
Interior Photos of the Okinawa Japan Temple
