Some 7,000 people prayed Tuesday for the souls of the 3 million Japanese killed in World War II and wished for peace in the 21st century during a government-sponsored memorial ceremony in Tokyo.
Marking the 55th anniversary of the end of the war, the event was attended by about 6,000 relatives of the victims and by 1,000 government officials and politicians.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, the Emperor and the Empress joined the crowd in offering a silent prayer at noon for the approximately 2.3 million Japanese soldiers and 800,000 civilians who perished in the war.