Japan marks 74th anniversary of surrender in WWII, emperor expresses "deep remorse"

Japan on Thursday marked the 74th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with Emperor Naruhito expressing his "deep remorse" over Japan's wartime acts.

The remarks were made in Naruhito's first appearance at an annual ceremony in Tokyo to mourn the lives lost during the war.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito (R) speaks next to Empress Masako before an altar during a memorial service at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, 15 August 2019. The annual ceremony marks the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is held to remember the Japanese soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the war. [Photo: EPA/KIYOSHI OTA via IC]

Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in May, in his address on the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII, along with expressing his deep remorse, also said that he hoped the ravages of war would never be repeated.

"Looking back on the long period of postwar peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated," said Naruhito, whose ascension saw Japan's new "Reiwa" era ushered in.

Japanese lawmakers are escorted by a Shinto priest after they prayed for war dead at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, 15 August 2019, the day of the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II. Some 3.1 million Japanese soldiers and civilians were killed during the war, almost 2.5 million of whom are enshrined at Yasukuni, including convicted WWII war criminals. [EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON via IC]

The expression "deep remorse" used by the emperor on Thursday was the same as that used by his 85-year-old father, former Emperor Akihito, in ceremonies to mark the war in recent years.

Akihito, who abdicated the throne in late April, had used the words "deep remorse" in every address since the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in 2015.

However, 59-year-old Emperor Naruhito, unlike his father, has never experienced war personally, as he was born after the end of WWII.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his address at the ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo's Chiyoda district, vowed not to repeat the tragedy of war, stating that Japan "deeply recalls the lessons of history".

Visitors release white doves into the air, praying for war dead and peace at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, 15 August 2019, the day of the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II. [EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON via IC]

In a departure from years past since Abe assumed office in 2012, the Japanese leader opted not to specifically mention Japan's brutal past aggressions against its Asian neighbors during the war.

"Over 3 million of our countrymen's lives were lost during the war. We will never forget that the peace and prosperity we are enjoying now are built on the ultimate sacrifices of the war dead," Abe said in his address.

A moment of silence was observed at the Nippon Budokan at noon for the lives lost in the war, including the hundreds of thousands of civilians, as well as those who perished in the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At the ceremony, floral tributes were paid by teenagers as a way of saying that the enormity, aggression, devastation and sheer horror of the war waged by Japan should never be forgotten and should be remembered by Japan's younger generations.