U.S. President Donald Trump has released a message regarding the 80th anniversary of the country's victory over Japan in World War II, stating that "the Japanese Empire was defeated" and the world was "spared from the oppressive clutches of destruction and tyranny."
In the message, released Thursday, Trump praised American troops' "sacrifice and bravery" in "the deadliest war in human history" and pledged to maintain his administration's foreign policy of "peace through strength" to ensure that the United States remains "the greatest country on earth."
Japan "has become our strongest ally in the Pacific" and hosts more than 50,000 American troops who stand guard against "new totalitarian regimes and their expansive ambitions," he said, underscoring the importance of U.S.-Japan relations.
The message also noted that "peace is never promised, but is earned through sacrifice, defended with strength."
In February, Trump issued a statement marking 80 years since the Battle of Iwo Jima, a fierce battle between Japan and the United States on the Pacific island of Ioto in the late stage of WWII.
In May, he issued a presidential proclamation to designate May 8 as the Victory Day for WWII. In the war, Nazi Germany surrendered to the U.S.-led Allied powers on May 8, 1945. In the proclamation, Trump did not touch on the United States' battles with Japan during the war.
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