Japan Renews Pledge for Peace on 81st War-End Anniversary

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, with attendees remembering about 3.1 million victims in the war and renewing their pledge for peace. About 4,180 people, including Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and bereaved relatives, attended the ceremony at the Nippon Budokan hall in Chiyoda Ward. At noon, they offered silent prayers for the war dead. In his speech, the Emperor said, “Looking back on the long period of post-war peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated.” Echoing his speech last year, he said, “It is my sincere hope that we shall continue to pass down the memories of the sufferings endured during and after the war, and in unity of spirit, to seek peace and the happiness of the people in the future.” In her address, Takaichi said that Japan will never allow the horrors of war to be repeated and will pass this pledge down to future generations. She added that she will build a country filled with hope. The prime minister’s speech did not mention remorse nor touch on Japan’s wartime responsibility to its Asian neighbors. Takeshi Kanamori, 84, whose father died in the Philippines during the war, delivered a speech on behalf of the bereaved relatives. Although peace has been maintained for a long time and the war has become a distant memory in Japan, Kanamori said, “There are endless victims like us in ongoing conflicts around the world.” Expressing his hope that peace would come to the world as soon as possible, he said, “My mission is to pass on the horrors of war to the next generation.” According to the welfare ministry, 3,112 bereaved family members attended the ceremony, compared with the 3,270 who had planned to attend as of Aug. 4, with a record 56.3 pct of them born after the war. The oldest attendee was 98 years old, and the youngest was 3 years old. No parents of the war dead were in attendance for the 16th consecutive year, while a 96-year-old woman was the only spouse of a war dead to attend the ceremony. A total of about 2.3 million soldiers and others who served in the former Japanese military, as well as about 800,000 civilians, died after the start of the Japan-China war in 1937. On Saturday, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko observed a moment of silence at their residence in Tokyo, and Princess Aiko, the Emperor’s only child, did so at the Imperial Palace, according to the Imperial Household Agency. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]