Society

Emperor, empress, Abe attend ceremony to mark 75th anniversary of WWII surrender

Aug 15 (Japan Today) - Japan on Saturday commemorated the 75th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with the emperor and empress, the prime minister and a limited number of people attending a ceremony to mourn the war dead that was scaled back due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed not to repeat the tragedy of the war, saying, "We will never forget that the peace and prosperity we are enjoying today are built on the ultimate sacrifices of the war dead."

Abe, who is eager to revise the postwar pacifist Constitution, did not refer to Japan's wartime aggression, in line with his statements at previous memorial ceremonies since taking office in 2012.

Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito, the country's first emperor born after the war, made a rare public appearance amid the pandemic with his wife Empress Masako and expressed "deep remorse" during the annual memorial service, as he did last year.

"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," he said in his address.

With the coronavirus spreading across the country, the 60-year-old emperor who ascended the throne in May last year has postponed or canceled all of his regular regional tours.

A moment of silence was observed at noon for the approximately 2.3 million military personnel and 800,000 civilians who perished in the war, including those killed in the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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