The Uwajima Fisheries High School on Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the sinking of the Ehime Maru training ship off Hawaii.
About 300 people, including relatives of the nine people who died and survivors of the incident, attended the ceremony at the high school in Uwajima.
They observed a moment of silence at 8:43 a.m., the time in Japan when the 499-ton vessel sank after it was struck from below by the 6,080-ton U.S. nuclear submarine Greeneville as it performed a rapid-surfacing maneuver.
"Three years on, and the bereaved relatives and students who were rescued continue to feel the pain and sadness," Uwajima Principal Kazumitsu Joko said. "We hope this tragic accident will be passed on as a message to ensure sea safety."
After the ceremony, the participants moved to the main entrance of the school and placed flowers at a monument built in 2002 to commemorate the victims.
An association of metalworking firms in Ehime Prefecture sent 1,000 cranes made of copper sheet to the school. The birds are considered a symbol of long life and peace.
In Hawaii, a ceremony was also held in Kaka'ako Waterfront Park at a monument dedicated to the Ehime Maru. Relatives of some of those who died in the accident attended.