Tokyo Memorial Service Held to Mark 80 Years Since Great Tokyo Air Raid; Organizers Hope for World Peace

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:58 JST, March 10, 2025

A memorial service for victims of the Great Tokyo Air Raid was held Monday to mark 80 years since the U.S. bombings by B-29 bombers that killed about 100,000 people toward the end of the Pacific War.

The service was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward. It was attended by about 160 people, including Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko and relatives of the victims.

“We sincerely hope for world peace, and it is our mission to preserve the tragic events without letting them fade, so we can carry them on to the next generation as lessons for the future,” said Yasushi Aoyama, chairman of the Tokyo memorial association, which hosted the service.

A flower stand was set up in front of the hall, where family members of the victims laid flowers.

Masako Hoshino, a 95-year-old resident of Sumida Ward who experienced the air raids in Honjo district, now Sumida Ward, has been active in sharing her experiences at schools including elementary schools.

Hoshino clasped her hands and said, “I feel like I am being told by many of my classmates who lost their lives in the air raids, ‘You survived, so you should continue sharing your experiences.’”