Japanese emperor leads hope for peace
Source: Agencies |
August 16, 2011, Tuesday
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JAPAN marked the 66th anniversary of its surrender in World War II yesterday with somber remembrance ceremonies across the country and a memorial service in Tokyo led by the emperor.
The ceremonies come as the country struggles to recover from this year's earthquake and tsunami.
Emperor Akihito, whose father made the unprecedented 1945 national radio address announcing the war could not be won, offered prayers for the dead and hopes for peace at yesterday's memorial in Tokyo. Prime Minister Naoto Kan also attended.
The annual ceremonies cap a series of remembrance events marking the war's disastrous final months.
Gatherings are also held each year to mark the anniversaries of the bloody battle of Okinawa in June 1945 and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both in early August.
"We feel a deep sadness for those who died and for their families," said Akihito. "Looking back on history, we fervently hope not to repeat the tragedy of war."
This year the memorial was particularly poignant for Japan, which is struggling to recover from the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing and sparked a nuclear crisis.
Kan said Japan should use its experience of rebuilding after World War II as a sign it can recover from this year's disaster. "Since the war, our nation has overcome many difficult times," he said. "Using this experience, the devastated areas, and our nation itself, will recover strongly from the disaster."
While the anniversary in Japan is a reflexive occasion to remember and honor its own dead, the day continues to evoke bitter memories across Asia of Japan's militarist exploits.
Visits by senior politicians to Yasukuni, a Tokyo war shrine, have often inflamed those wounds. The Shinto shrine honors the 2.5 million war dead.
Kan is still new at the helm and trying to improve ties with Japan's Asian neighbors. It is the first time since the end of World War II that the entire Japanese Cabinet has avoided visiting Yasukuni on August 15.
Instead, Kan officially laid a wreath yesterday morning at a different war memorial in Tokyo that is not associated with Yasukuni.
At yesterday's main service, he reiterated Japan's remorse for the suffering it caused in Asia. He told the 7,200 people at the event: "We caused great suffering and pain to many countries, especially in Asia, and we must deeply reflect, while paying our respects to the many victims and their families."
The ceremonies come as the country struggles to recover from this year's earthquake and tsunami.
Emperor Akihito, whose father made the unprecedented 1945 national radio address announcing the war could not be won, offered prayers for the dead and hopes for peace at yesterday's memorial in Tokyo. Prime Minister Naoto Kan also attended.
The annual ceremonies cap a series of remembrance events marking the war's disastrous final months.
Gatherings are also held each year to mark the anniversaries of the bloody battle of Okinawa in June 1945 and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both in early August.
"We feel a deep sadness for those who died and for their families," said Akihito. "Looking back on history, we fervently hope not to repeat the tragedy of war."
This year the memorial was particularly poignant for Japan, which is struggling to recover from the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing and sparked a nuclear crisis.
Kan said Japan should use its experience of rebuilding after World War II as a sign it can recover from this year's disaster. "Since the war, our nation has overcome many difficult times," he said. "Using this experience, the devastated areas, and our nation itself, will recover strongly from the disaster."
While the anniversary in Japan is a reflexive occasion to remember and honor its own dead, the day continues to evoke bitter memories across Asia of Japan's militarist exploits.
Visits by senior politicians to Yasukuni, a Tokyo war shrine, have often inflamed those wounds. The Shinto shrine honors the 2.5 million war dead.
Kan is still new at the helm and trying to improve ties with Japan's Asian neighbors. It is the first time since the end of World War II that the entire Japanese Cabinet has avoided visiting Yasukuni on August 15.
Instead, Kan officially laid a wreath yesterday morning at a different war memorial in Tokyo that is not associated with Yasukuni.
At yesterday's main service, he reiterated Japan's remorse for the suffering it caused in Asia. He told the 7,200 people at the event: "We caused great suffering and pain to many countries, especially in Asia, and we must deeply reflect, while paying our respects to the many victims and their families."
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