About 3,000 people -- twice as many as last year -- gathered Wednesday at Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, to attend an annual memorial service to pay tribute to Japan's war dead.
Others paid their respects separately at the shrine.
The service was sponsored by groups that want prime ministers to pay an official visit to the shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.