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[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Spring Memorial Service for the Victims of War Damage in Tokyo and the Victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake, in the presence of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino.

In his memorial address, the Prime Minster said,

“In the gracious presence of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino, and in holding the Spring Memorial Service for the Victims of War Damage in Tokyo and the Victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake today, I would like to pay my deepest respects to the souls of the numerous people who lost their lives through war damage or in the Great Kanto Earthquake, and also express my respect to all their family members.

On this day 70 years ago, in the Great Tokyo Air Raids carried out by several hundred bombers, Tokyo suffered catastrophic damage. As many as 100,000 people are thought to have lost their lives, and the urban area was reduced to scorched earth in only a few hours.

Seventy years have passed since then. The peace and prosperity we now enjoy has been built on the precious sacrifice of all those who lost their lives in the war.

No matter how much time passes, we will never forget that, even for a moment.

With the pledge towards peace, we will face the past with humility, and with the lessons learned from the horrors of war deeply engraved into our hearts, we will make contributions to lasting world peace to the greatest possible extent.

In the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred on September 1st, 1923, twenty-two years before the air raids, over 105,000 people lost their lives, and Tokyo suffered enormous damage in which more than 370,000 buildings collapsed or burned down.

However, our predecessors recovered from the devastation through perseverance, and rebuilt Tokyo into a more modern, convenient city than it had been before the disaster.

By fully absorbing the valuable lessons of the experience of the earthquake, and through our collective wisdom, we are determined to build a country that is strong and resilient against disasters, and to exert all our efforts in implementing overall disaster risk reduction countermeasures.

I hereby renew my vow that, following on from our predecessors who overcame numerous national crises, we who live today, too, will join hands for the future generations to walk forward in a positive way.

I end my remarks at this memorial service by praying for the repose of the souls who rest here, and offer my heartfelt wishes for the happiness of all of their families.”