Prayers Offered For War Dead at Tokyo Cemetery on 80th Anniversary of War’s End

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:45 JST, August 15, 2025

Many families of those who died in World War II and other people visited the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Friday to offer flowers and prayers. The cemetery enshrines the unidentified remains of the war dead.

Among the visitors was a 59-year-old man from Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, who runs a restaurant. His grandfather went to war in Burma (now Myanmar), lost a leg and returned to Japan.

“My grandfather survived, but it seems he saw many of his brothers-in-arms die in front of his eyes. He never spoke about the war during his lifetime. Many people who experienced the war have died, but we must not forget the hardships of the war,” he said.

The cemetery enshrines the remains of 370,989 people who died in the war but have not been identified, as of the end of July.