Tokyo on Saturday marked the 73rd anniversary of U.S. air raids during World War II that killed over 80,000, with some 600 people including families of the victims commemorating those lost in the bombing.
Prince Akishino, the younger son of Emperor Akihito, his wife Princess Kiko and Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike also attended the memorial service at a hall in the capital's Sumida Ward where the remains of many of the unidentified victims were placed.
Among other participants were Hideo Yoshida, 83, from the northeastern Japanese city of Fukushima, who has been attending the annual ceremony over the past 30 years.
"I still think today that if there had been no war, everyone could have had different lives," he said. Yoshida's father went missing in the bombing and his older sister suffered burns and died two years later.
Koike said at the service, "It is our responsibility to pass on our knowledge (of the air raids) to the next generation so that the tragedy of war will not be forgotten, as well as to protect the peace and safety of the world."
In the early hours of March 10, 1945, some 300 U.S. B-29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs on parts of Tokyo, particularly on densely populated areas.
The number of air raid victims registered on the Tokyo government's list totaled 81,058.
