Toshiaki Kuriyama, Representative Director of Kuriyama Beika Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture), has been appointed Head of the Meiji University Alumni Association Niigata Prefecture Branch. The Niigata Gokoku Shrine houses the "Meiji University Fallen Students Chureiden" (Hall of Spirits), which enshrines the souls of 323 Meiji University students who died in the war. The Alumni Association Niigata Prefecture Branch holds a memorial service every year on July 10th. With this appointment, we aim to pass on the memorial rites for fallen students and thoughts for peace, which have been inherited for many years, to the future, and to convey their history and significance to more people. ■ A Place of Remembrance Still Inherited Today The Meiji University Fallen Students Chureiden was built to commemorate the souls of Meiji University students who died in the war. Initially, it was housed in the old library on the Surugadai Campus. It was dismantled in 1950 (Showa 25) and moved to the Niigata Gokoku Shrine. Since its reconstruction in 1955 (Showa 30), memorial services have been held annually, primarily by the Niigata Prefecture Branch. This history continues to be passed down. In April 2026, a volunteer group continuing bone collection activities in Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture, discovered a button with a school emblem, believed to belong to a Meiji University student who died in the Battle of Okinawa, along with human remains. The discoverer learned that the "Meiji University Fallen Students Chureiden" was established at Niigata Gokoku Shrine and visited Niigata with the desire to "commemorate the soul of the button's owner and report to the Meiji University fallen students resting in the Chureiden." A memorial service was held at the Chureiden. Details: https://niigata.meiji-shikon.net/news/5858/ (From the Meiji University Alumni Association Niigata Prefecture Branch website) Inheriting this history and sentiment, this year again, on July 10