On August 8, the day of the end of the war, ceremonies were held in various places to commemorate the victims.
Those who participated renewed their desire for peace.
Okinawa Mobilized and sacrificed Memorial service for students of Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry School
On the 15th, the day of the end of the war, a memorial service was held in Kadena Town to commemorate the students of the Prefectural Agricultural and Forestry School who were mobilized and killed in the Battle of Okinawa.
Before the war, more than 100 students of the Prefectural Agricultural and Forestry School in Kadena Town were mobilized during the Battle of Okinawa.
The memorial service on the 15th was held back to the scale before the corona disaster, and about 50 people, including bereaved families and graduates, attended in front of the cenotaph.
After a moment of silence, Mr. Hikonobu Toguchi (96), a former student who was mobilized by the former Japan Army unit, said on behalf of the alumni, "It is the height of remorse that a schoolmate who had many dreams for the future and worked his studies was unintentionally sacrificed. I always wish for peace."
Next, Rinka Matayoshi (3), a third-year junior high school student in the area, said, "We only know peaceful Okinawa, but we can understand the horror of war and hope that war will never happen again. Let us make peace and live with 'Treasure of Life' etched in our hearts."
Eiki Senahami (14), a former student who was mobilized into the former Japan Army, said, "I have sworn to the students who died, 'We will protect the lasting peace.'
Speech contest on peace theme in Chiran Town, Kagoshima
Coinciding with the day of the end of the war, a speech contest on the theme of peace was held in Chiran Town in Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture, where the base of the special attack unit was located at the end of the Pacific War.
At the end of the Pacific War, an army special attack base was set up in Chiran Town in Minamikyushu City, and 439 young people were killed in battle.
The speech contest is held every year by Minamikyushu City to send a message of peace from the town where the special attack base was located, on the day of the end of the war.
On the 15th, junior high school and high school students, as well as nine people selected through pre-screening in the general category, presented their thoughts on peace.
Among them, Anka Samejima, a third-year junior high school student in Makurazaki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, said, "We who live now where we can dream of tomorrow must appreciate the preciousness of this present, and we must take action to ensure that such a world will spread on this earth for many years to come."
In addition, Aozora Saoza, a third-year high school student in Kumamoto Prefecture who saw the mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki by his great-grandmother, said, "I think what we, who live in Japan as a country that suffered atomic bombings, and who have learned the tragedy of war, can do is to pass on the lesson that war should not exist to the next generation and actively send a message of 'peace' to the entire world." He stated emphatically.
A man in his 9s who visited the venue said, "It touched my heart, and I hope that the people who gave the speech will continue to talk about peace in the future."
Hiroshima: High school students and A-bomb survivors ring the Peace Bell
On the 78th, 15 years since the end of World War II, high school students and A-bomb survivors rang the "Peace Bell" at Peace Park in Hiroshima City, wishing for a world free of war and nuclear weapons.
At Peace Park in Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, the Hiroshima UNESCO Association holds a gathering every year to ring the "Bell of Peace" to pray for a world free of war and nuclear weapons on the day of the end of World War II, and about 100 people, including A-bomb survivors, high school students, and tourists who stopped by, participated.
First, four high school students from the prefecture gave speeches wishing for peace in Japanese and English.
Among them, Sakura Gokan, a second-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural High School, whose grandmother was a high school peace ambassador who joined the city and was an atomic bomb survivor, said, "As a young man born in Hiroshima and whose family is an A-bomb survivor, I feel a strong responsibility and mission for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Let adults and young people join hands to create peace."
After the participants offered a moment of silence to the victims of the war and the atomic bombing, the "Peace Bell" was rung in turn, which depicts a world map without borders that symbolizes that the world is one, and the sound of the bell filled with wishes for peace echoed throughout the park.
Nobuko Nakamoto, who was exposed to the atomic bomb when she was three years old, said, "I felt that young people are inheriting it and having the courage to participate, and I hope that the world will be peaceful because there are many people who are threatened by war."
Yamagata Memorial by ringing a bell made with a wish for peace
On the 78th, 15 years since the end of World War II, the bereaved families mourned the victims of the war and renewed their desire for peace by ringing a bell made with a wish for peace in Yamagata City.
In order to convey the importance of peace to future generations, Yamagata City made a bell called the "Millennium Bell" in Heisei 12 with a height of about 1 meter and 70 centimeters and installed it on the site of the city hall.
On the 15th, the day of the end of the war, about 60 people, including the bereaved families, gathered and offered a moment of silence at noon, and then the bereaved families rang the bell in pairs.
According to Yamagata Prefecture, about 2.1 million people were killed in the previous war, and the total number of war dead from Yamagata Prefecture is 310,3.
Tatsu Sugae, executive director of the Yamagata City Bereaved Families Association, whose father was killed in battle on Leyte Island when he was 8898 years old, said, "It is sad that the war is being forgotten little by little, along with the thought that it has already been 0 years since the end of the war.
In addition, Masaaki Yamagishi, director of the Yamagata City Bereaved Families Association, whose grandfather was killed in battle on Samar Island in the central Philippines, said, "I would like to listen to the stories of my parents' generation as much as possible while they are alive and continue activities to pass on the materials.
Ehime Approximately 800 people attend the war memorial service
On the 78th, 15 years since the end of World War II, a prefectural memorial service was held in Matsuyama City to commemorate the more than 4,5000 war dead in Ehime Prefecture.
The Ehime Prefecture War Memorial Service, hosted by the prefecture and held at the Prefectural Cultural Center in Matsuyama City, was attended by approximately 800 people, including bereaved families.
This year's memorial service was held for the first time in four years without limiting the number of attendees in response to the transition of the new coronavirus to Class 5, and for the first time, everyone held a moment of silence to commemorate the 4,4 war dead in the prefecture.
Following that, Governor Nakamura delivered his address, saying, "We must not forget that behind peace and prosperity were great sacrifices and the hardships of the bereaved families who lost their immediate family, and I would like to renew my desire for lasting peace and do my utmost for the boundless development of my hometown of Ehime."
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Ms. Setsuko Shiraishi (5813) of Matsuyama City, whose father was killed in the war in Kagoshima Prefecture, said, "In the chaos of the postwar period, we have survived hard by standing close to our families despite facing many difficulties.
At the end, representatives of the attendees laid flowers on the wreath stand and renewed their pledge for peace. Yuka Takahashi, a fifth-grade elementary school student who offered flowers on behalf of the great-grandchildren of the war dead, said, "I thought that the war should never be repeated, and I want to learn about that time by reading books and talking to people who know about the war."
Yamaguchi Ringing the Bell of Peace and Wishing for World Peace
On the 15th, the day of the end of the war, a ceremony was held at the Xavier Memorial Cathedral in Yamaguchi City to ring the peace bell and pray for world peace.
This ceremony is held every year by the Yamaguchi Prefectural UNESCO Liaison Council to coincide with the day of the end of the war.
On the 15th, about 15 people gathered around the Great Holy Year Peace Bell, which was presented by the Pope to commemorate the 2000th anniversary of Christ's birth.
At the ceremony, Mr. Yukinaga Arita, Chairman of the Training Department of the Liaison Council, gave a greeting saying, "It has been one and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine, so let's all pray for an end to the war as soon as possible," and then read out the UNESCO Peace Declaration and rang the peace bell.
Next, the participants rang the bell in turn while talking about their thoughts for peace.
An 1-year-old man from Yamaguchi City said, "War is a sad word, and I hope that the war will be stopped as soon as possible and resolved through discussions." A woman in her 88s from Yamaguchi City said, "I am heartbroken by the fact that wars are happening all over the world, and I hope that the sound of the peace bell will reach the world."
Aichi Memorial service postponed due to Typhoon No. 7
Due to the influence of Typhoon No. 7, the war memorial service in Aichi Prefecture scheduled for the 15th has been postponed.
In an interview with NHK, a representative of the bereaved families, who was scheduled to give a memorial address at the ceremony, expressed her thoughts on the day of the end of the war, saying, "I would like to pray that everyone around the world can live in peace and tranquility."
Yoko Matsui, 80, from Aisai City, Aichi Prefecture, lost her father, who served in the Navy, in the Philippines when she was two years old.
Matsui had little memory of his father because he was young, but he was told after the war that the last time his family went to see him from the base in Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture before he left for the war.
Matsui said, "One of the last commemorative photos was when I took a picture of my father in Kure, and it seems that the number of volunteers in the Philippines was steadily decreasing, and at the end of the year, the situation was so bad that some people starved to death due to lack of food. I don't know where the remains went."
On the 2th, regarding the "day of the end of the war," he said, "There are still wars going on in other countries, and when I see people who have fallen on the news, I think about the future lives of these people, and my heart really hurts to replace them with myself. I would like to pray that everyone in the world can live in peace and tranquility."
Aichi Prefecture will decide the timing of the postponed war memorial service after consultation with related organizations.