Families and friends commemorated on Saturday the 38th anniversary of the Japan Airlines jet crash that killed 520 passengers and crew in the world's deadliest single-aircraft accident.
Braving the heat, mourners climbed the mountain trail to the Boeing 747 crash site on Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture, where they paid their respects at a monument and grave markers for their lost loved ones.
Kuniko Miyajima, who leads an association of kin of the victims, said, "We all share a desire for safety and peace." The 76-year-old, who lost her 9-year-old son Ken in the crash, said she hopes to pass on the lessons learnt from the tragedy to the next generation.