Relatives of those killed in the 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash commemorated the 30th anniversary of the tragedy on Wednesday, climbing to the accident site in the mountains northwest of Tokyo to pray for their loved ones.
In what is still the world's deadliest single-carrier aircraft accident, JAL Flight 123 was traveling to Osaka with 524 passengers and crew aboard when it crashed on Mount Osutaka in Gunma Prefecture, killing all onboard except two women and two girls. The tragedy happened during the Bon summer holidays.
The relatives, carrying bouquets of flowers, climbed around 800 meters up a steep mountain trail to the crash site and prayed at grave markers and a monument located on Osutaka Ridge.