Wednesday, August 15, 2001
|
On the fifty-sixth anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, the annual Government-sponsored Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead was held in the Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. The approximately 7,000 people attending, including members of families of the war dead, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and representatives of various fields of life, prayed for the repose of the more than 3 million war dead. Addressing the assembly, the Prime Minister stated, "On the occasion of the ceremony in the first year of the 21st century, once again I inscribe the many lessons of the war deeply on my heart and vow anew to make my utmost efforts toward establishing a permanent world peace and realizing a society full of hope in which people are able to live fulfilling lives." |