On a sunny peak on Saipan Island, the death toll continued to rise after the fighting had ceased when the Americans captured the Japanese stronghold.
This represented a major loss on behalf of the Japanese: The Allies had seized Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, and were steadily advancing on Japanese territory. The Battle of Saipan was a devastating blow to the Japanese front. The Americans suffered almost 3,000 casualties, while all but 942 of the 30,000 Japanese soldiers were killed.
Civilians were terrified. The U.S. troops had not made an effort to distinguish between combatants and civilians, often shooting at the first sign of movement in caves and underbrush. Because of this, information circulated that the American soldiers would be brutally raping, torturing, and murdering their prisoners of war. In order to die with dignity rather than at the hands of their captors, a staggering 8,000 soldiers, civilian men, women, and children committed suicide by leaping off of a cliff into the sea. This communal death earned the cliff its new name, Banzai Cliff, because the jumpers allegedly shouted "banzai" while they plummeted to their deaths, wishing the emperor 10,000 years of life.
Where the threat of torture and murder came from isn't clear. It may have been based on the actuality of war crimes on the part of the Americans. The local Japanese military may have spread the order to commit suicide, or civilians may have followed suit after seeing numerous soldiers leaping to their deaths. Another rumor is that the order came from Emperor Hirohito himself, though this is unlikely.
The island is now dotted with memorials to the bloody battle and its aftermath. The Japanese airstrip still stands, and a peace memorial nearby features Japanese Ha Go tanks. With its many obelisks and buddha sculptures, Banzai Cliff serves as a grave reminder that the casualties of war don't end on the battlefield.