Japan Marks 80th Anniversary of WWII Surrender With Tribute to War Dead

TOKYO — Japan on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, paying tribute to more than three million war dead amid growing concern that memories of the conflict and the lessons of militarism are fading.

At a national memorial ceremony at Tokyo’s Budokan hall, about 4,500 officials, bereaved families, and their descendants observed a moment of silence at noon — the exact time when Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945. Participants later laid white chrysanthemums in honor of the dead.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, delivering his first address on the occasion, expressed “remorse” over the war — the first time a Japanese leader has used the word in an August 15 speech since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe omitted it in 2013.

Ishiba called the war a mistake but did not acknowledge Japan’s wartime aggression across Asia or issue an apology.

“We will never repeat the tragedy of war. We will never take the wrong path again,” Ishiba said. “Once again, we must keep in our hearts the remorse and lessons from that war.” He vowed to pass Japan’s peace pledge to future generations.