About 40 members of the Gen. MacArthur Honor Guard Association visiting Tokyo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his departure from Japan paid respects to Japan's war dead Sunday at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery for the War Dead in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
"We respect Japanese war dead. There were over 2 million men who lost their lives in the war, and we pray for them today," said David Valley, one of the honor guard and the organizer of the visit. "Those people were, with few exceptions, not responsible for the war and were innocent victims."
The unit was established in 1945 to perform the formal honor guard functions for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander Allied Powers, and his family, staff and visiting dignitaries during the Allied Occupation. After implementing several reforms that remodeled Japanese society, MacArthur left Japan on April 16, 1951.