Last updated: June 7, 2024
Place
Death and Duty
Banzai Cliff is situated along Saipan’s northern-most promontory known more commonly as Marpi Point. This area, along with Suicide Cliff to the south, saw the tragic end to the Battle of Saipan.
On July 9, 1944, shortly after the U.S. declaration that Saipan was secure, thousands of Japanese women, children, and other civilians retreated to Marpi Point and decided, with help from the Japanese military, to die at their own hands rather than risk surrender to U.S. forces. Families jumped into the jagged rocks and raging surf below. Today, a host of monuments stand in memory of those that died on those fateful days.
On July 9, 1944, shortly after the U.S. declaration that Saipan was secure, thousands of Japanese women, children, and other civilians retreated to Marpi Point and decided, with help from the Japanese military, to die at their own hands rather than risk surrender to U.S. forces. Families jumped into the jagged rocks and raging surf below. Today, a host of monuments stand in memory of those that died on those fateful days.