Wednesday, 16/08/2017 16:32 (GMT+7)
Japan on August 15th marked the 72nd anniversary of its surrender in the World War II, between August 14th and 15th in 1945.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (Photo: Japan Times)
The Emperor and Empress, the Prime Minister, and about 5,000 relatives of the war dead attended a ceremony to mourn those killed.
In a speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the devastation of war should never be repeated. He highlighted Japan's contributions to global peace and prosperity in the decades since the war.
Abe said Japan will continue to uphold a policy of supporting peace and hating war, while facing history with humility.
A moment of silence at noon honoured the 2.3 million Japanese military personnel and 800,000 civilians who died in the war.
The oldest participant was 101-year-old Harumi Serigano, whose husband died in fighting in Okinawa in 1945. She described him as a gentle person who never got angry with her. She said she no longer remembers details about the period, except that she hates war.
On December 13th, 1937, Japanese troops began six weeks of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter in Nanjing. More than 300,000 Chinese, including unarmed soldiers and innocent civilians, were murdered./.
Compiled by BTA