Japan’s Emperor, Family Mourn 1945 Tokyo Air Raid Victims

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visited the Tokyo memorial hall on Thursday to mourn the victims of the U.S. military’s air raid on the Japanese capital 80 years ago during World War II. The memorial in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward preserves the remains of some 105,000 people, including those who died in the massive air raid. Led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the Imperial couple and Princess Aiko laid white flowers at the hall’s altar and offered deep bows. The family met with four bereaved relatives of the air raid victims. Speaking to Hiroyuki Ohinata, 84, of Sumida Ward, who lost eight family members, Emperor Naruhito said, “I am very sorry,” offering him comfort. When Ohinata expressed his hope for lasting peace, the family nodded in agreement. Yoko Tanaka, 82, of the same ward, told the family how she lost her father-in-law, who was helping people evacuate during the raid, and that many who sought refuge in a nearby river also died. Princess Aiko asked Tanaka, “Was there a river?” Along with Empress Masako, the princess said, “You must have had a hard time.” As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have visited several locations in Japan to console the souls of war victims, including the Pacific island of Iwoto, a remote Tokyo island widely known as Iwo Jima, as well as Okinawa, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Princess Aiko accompanied her parents to Okinawa and Nagasaki. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]