WORLD : Japan Marks WWII Anniversary
Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu today marked the 45th anniversary of the end of World War II by saying Japan must never again “repeat the tragedy of the war.”
A somber Emperor Akihito then led the nation in a minute of silence to honor the war dead. With Empress Michiko at his side, the emperor bowed deeply before a mountain of white and yellow chrysanthemums and prayed for world peace.
The prime minister and the imperial couple appeared at a brief memorial at the Budokan martial arts hall, near the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo.
Kaifu earlier skipped a visit to a Shinto shrine where 2.4 million of Japan’s 3.1 million war dead are memorialized. He stayed away from the Yasukuni shrine in an effort not to offend nations that suffered from Japanese aggression in World War II.
All other Cabinet members--and nearly 200 members of Parliament--attended the ceremony at the shrine.
About a dozen riot police vehicles surrounded Yasukuni Shrine to prevent violence between small groups of demonstrating rightists and leftists. Each group blared messages through loudspeakers that were virtually impossible to understand because of the high volume.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
