A memorial service was held in Tokyo to commemorate the war dead on Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands, which became a fierce battlefield in the Pacific War.
Iwo Jima, about 1,200 kilometers away from Tokyo, became a fierce battlefield at the end of the Pacific War, killing about 21,900 people on the Japanese side and about 6,800 people on the American side.
Continuing from last year, the memorial service for the city was held in the hall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, not in the field, in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, and about 40 bereaved families attended.
At the ceremony, Governor Koike said, "We will surely pass on the sad history to the next generation, and we will do our best to realize a world where everyone can live in peace and well."
After this, all the attendees silently prayed.
In addition, on behalf of the bereaved family, Mr. Yoshie Kuribayashi, the grandson of Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who served as general commander, made a memorial service.
Mr. Kuribayashi said, "I am eager to welcome the remains of the war dead who cannot return to their hometown to the mainland as soon as possible and to memorialize them. I think I have to do it. "