On March 10th, 79 years since the Great Tokyo Air Raid, in which approximately 100,000 people died, a memorial service was held in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, attended by bereaved families.
In the early hours of March 10, 1945, during the final stages of the Pacific War, Tokyo was bombed by American B-29 bombers, causing devastating damage to Tokyo, mainly in its downtown area, and approximately 100,000 people were killed.
On March 10th, 79 years after the air raids, a memorial service was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward, attended by Prince Akishino and his wife.
Approximately 200 people, including Tokyo Governor Koike and representatives of the bereaved families, burned incense and offered prayers for the victims.
After the memorial service, Hiroyuki Ohinata (83), who attended as a representative of the bereaved family, said, ``I lost my grandfather, grandmother, and three uncles in the air raid.It's like burning many people to death indiscriminately.'' "I want to convey to young people that even 79 years later, war was still a terrible thing."
A 93-year-old woman who lost her 20-year-old brother in the air raid at the time said, ``He was my sister's older brother, and he died in the air raid, even though he had the best of his life ahead of him.It was really frustrating.I attend the ceremony every year, and I will continue to do so.'' "I want to firmly convey the horrors of war to the younger generation," he said.