ABSTRACT
Haebaru Town has been working to preserve war-related sites through the excavation of hospital caves that were used by the Japanese military and evacuated citizens during the Battle of Okinawa. In 1990, the town registered the Okinawa Army Hospital Haebaru Clinic caves as a cultural property of Haebaru Town. The site was classified as war-related, and it was the first of its kind in Japan. Following the registration of the site, the town proceeded to research ways to conserve the site while utilizing its potential as a visitor destination. In this chapter, the author focuses on the problems encountered during the process of research prior to the public opening of Okinawa Army Hospital Haebaru Clinic caves, which is an historic case study for the conservation and utilization of a war-related site in Okinawa and Japan. From this case study, the author considers the most effective methods for the conservation and use of war-related sites.
