Japan marked the 78th anniversary of its surrender in World War II on Tuesday by stressing the importance of peace as the world grapples with the Ukraine war and Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling.
“More than 3 million of our compatriots lost their lives during the war,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a government-hosted ceremony in Tokyo. “We must never again repeat the devastation of war.
“Taking the lessons of history deeply into our hearts, we have made all possible efforts for world peace and prosperity,” he said.
Japan is determined to work with the international community to resolve the various global challenges the world faces, with conflicts still ongoing, Kishida said.
“Looking back on the long period of postwar 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,” Emperor Naruhito said.
Emperor Hirohito, who is posthumously called Emperor Showa, declared Japan's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, in a radio broadcast to the public. The surrender was formally signed on Sept. 2 on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay alongside representatives of the Allied nations.
Members of bereaved families from 10 prefectures were unable to participate in the ceremony, attended by 1,855 people, due to Typhoon Lan, which made landfall earlier in the morning.
Those who attended were mostly elderly, with about 75% of the war victims’ next of kin being 70 years old or older. The oldest was 104 years old.
One of them was Teruo Yokota, 83, whose father died in China.
“My mother wrote letters time after time to let him know that his third child — my younger sister — was born. But my father never got those letters and he died in China in May 1945 without being able to see the child,” Yokota said.
Those who were left behind, Yokota said, lived on by supporting each other despite the deep sorrow they had.
“We, the bereaved families, shall not forget that the peaceful life we enjoy today is built on the sacrifices of the war dead,” Yokota said.
Attendees also offered a silent prayer and listened to the "Kimigayo" national anthem, but did not sing it out of concern COVID-19 could be passed on to the elderly participants.
Across the street from the ceremony venue, the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class A war criminals, was visited by one Cabinet minister and other lawmakers from a nonpartisan group dedicated to visiting the shrine.
Visits to Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japan’s military past, have always angered neighboring countries, namely China and South Korea.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her hawkish views, told reporters after visiting the shrine that she offered her condolences to those who lost their lives due to the nation’s participation in the war.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, former Defense Minister Tomomi Inada and former National Public Safety Commission chief Keiji Furuya also made visits to the shrine.
Kishida refrained from making a visit but sent an offering paid for with his own money and signed in his role as LDP president, instead of prime minister, apparently to avoid angering other countries.
Later in the day, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed “deep disappointment” over their visits, urging them to show remorse for the past through their actions.
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