On the 10th, the 78th anniversary of the Tokyo air raid, which killed about 100,000 people, a memorial service was held in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, and the bereaved families and others prayed for the victims.
In the early hours of March 10, 1945, at the end of the Pacific War, Tokyo was devastated by a large air raid by American B29 bombers, mainly in downtown Tokyo, killing about 100,000 people.
On the 10th, the 78th anniversary of the air raid, a memorial service was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward, with the attendance of Prince Akishino and his wife.
About 100 people, including Governor Koike of Tokyo and representatives of the bereaved families, burned incense and offered prayers to the victims.
After the memorial service, Aiko Goseki, 79, who attended the memorial service as a representative of the bereaved family, said, "I lost three of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in the air raid. War is people killing people, so I'd like to avoid that kind of thing. I want the world to live in peace," he said.
Akira Saito, 60, who lost his grandparents, said, "I'm of a generation that didn't know the war personally, but I think the reason we have a peaceful life now is because there were victims. I want to be aware of this and pass it on to the next generation."