Citizens in Japan have been observing the 72nd anniversary of the end of World War Two. August 15th is the day Japan commemorates the end of the war.
The government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday to honor the approximately 3.1 million people who died in the conflict. About 6,400 people, including bereaved family members, attended the event.
In a speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the devastation of war should never be repeated. He highlighted Japan’s contributions to global peace and prosperity in the decades since the war.
Abe said Japan will continue to uphold a policy of supporting peace and hating war, while facing history with humility.
At noon, participants observed a minute of silent prayer. Emperor Akihito spoke of a profound sense of remorse over the war and expressed his hope that it never happens again.
He said he joined the Japanese people in offering condolences to those who died in the war, and prayed for world peace and the future progress of his country.
Hajime Watanabe, now 83, lost his father on a battlefield in the South Pacific. He spoke of his mother’s sorrow and hardship after her husband’s death, and pledged to convey the tragedy of war to future generations.
More than three quarters of the bereaved relatives who attended the ceremony were aged 70 or older.
The oldest participant was 101-year-old Harumi Serigano, whose husband died in fighting in Okinawa in 1945. She described him as a gentle person who never got angry with her. She said she no longer remembers details about the period, except that she hates war.
Source and image: NHK
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