Imphal Peace Museum | 24 Jun 2019

Britain and Japan, once adversaries during the 2nd world war have come together and inaugurated the Imphal Peace Museum to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal.

• The inauguration was attended by Manipur Revenue minister, Japanese Ambassador to India, High Commissioner of UK and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation (TNF).
• The museum is constructed by the support of The Nippon Foundation (TNF), a non-profit grant-making organization in collaboration with Manipur Tourism Forum and Manipur Government.
• The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) is located 20 km Southwest of Imphal, at the foothills of Red Hill.

Battle of Imphal

• The Battle of Imphal saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II at Maibam Lokpa Ching popularly known as Red Hill.
  
  • Red Hill was among the places where the tide began to turn against the Japanese.
• In 1944, Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses.
  
  • Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, of the Second World War.
  • The Japanese defeat at Kohima and Imphal was the largest up until that time, with many of the Japanese deaths resulting from starvation, disease and exhaustion suffered during their retreat.
• Imphal, the capital of Manipur, it is some 70 miles to the west of the Burmese border. To the north of Imphal are the Naga Hills and to the south the Chin Hills.