天皇てんのう陛下へいか御言葉おことば「戦中せんちゅう・戦後せんごの苦難くなんを今後こんごとも語かたり継つぎ」

On the 15th, marking 80 years since the end of the war, His Majesty the Emperor, together with the Empress, attended the National Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead, and newly added the words to continue passing down the hardships of the wartime and postwar periods to his address.

His Majesty the Emperor attended the National Memorial Service for the War Dead on the 15th together with the Empress. After observing a moment of silence with the attendees, he delivered an address.

At the beginning, as in previous years, it was stated, We once again feel deep sorrow as we remember the countless irreplaceable lives lost and their bereaved families in the last war.

Looking back on the postwar years, where last year and the year before the phrase was “from now on,” it was changed to “continue to pass down the hardships of the war and postwar period,” and then they said, “I sincerely hope that all of us will unite our hearts and continue to seek peace and happiness for people into the future.”

His Majesty the Emperor, who was born after the war, has repeatedly spoken at press conferences and other occasions about the importance of passing on the memories of the war and the desire for peace to generations who do not know war. For the first time, the expression to pass on was included in his words at this memorial ceremony.

The concluding sentence, as in previous years, stated: While reflecting on the long years of peace since the war, looking back on the past, and standing on the foundation of deep remorse, I sincerely hope that the tragedy of war will never be repeated. Together with all the people of the nation, I offer my heartfelt condolences to those who fell on the battlefield and those who perished in the ravages of war, and I pray for world peace and the further development of our country.

[Video] His Majesty the Emperor Full Text of His Remarks Today, on the “Day to Mourn the War Dead and Pray for Peace,” as I attend the National Memorial Service for the War Dead, I remember with renewed deep sorrow the many people who lost their precious lives in the last war, as well as their bereaved families.

80 years have passed since the end of the war, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the people, our nations peace and prosperity today have been built. However, when I think of the many hardships our people have endured along the way, I am deeply moved.

I sincerely hope that we will continue to pass down the hardships of the wartime and postwar periods, unite our hearts, and keep striving for peace and the happiness of people for generations to come.

Here, reflecting on the long years of peace since the war, looking back on the past, and standing on a foundation of deep remorse, we earnestly hope that the tragedy of war will never be repeated. Together with all the people of the nation, we offer our heartfelt condolences to those who fell in battle and those who perished in the ravages of war, and we pray for world peace and the further prosperity of our country.

His Majesty the Emperor Words Spoken So Far At the National Memorial Service for the War Dead, the words of His Majesty the Emperor have expressed mourning for the victims of war, sympathy for their bereaved families, and a desire for world peace and the development of Japan. The basic content has been maintained each year.

The feelings about war and peace expressed in the words of the Emperor Emeritus have been carried on, but at the memorial ceremony in the first year of Reiwa, which Emperor Naruhito attended for the first time as an emperor born after the war, he rephrased the expression “with deep remorse” used by the Emperor Emeritus to “based on deep remorse.”

Regarding this, nonfiction writer Masayasu Hosaka said in an interview at the time, It can be said that this expresses the idea of viewing the war from a historical perspective and carrying on a deep reflection to the next generation.

The following year, a sentence referring to the spread of the novel coronavirus was added to His Majestys address, and for the first time, current issues were included in his speech at the memorial ceremony for the war dead.

From the year before last, there was no longer any mention of the novel coronavirus in His Majestys message, and the words changed to, From now on, I sincerely hope that all of us will continue to join our hearts together and keep seeking peace and happiness for people into the future. Last year, the same message continued.

During the Heisei era, the content of the Emperor Emeritus’s remarks at the memorial services for the war dead was basically the same every year, but on the 50th and 70th anniversaries after the war, he added new words or changed some expressions in his speech.

In April, he visited Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands, one of the islands of gyokusai honorable death, and in June, he visited Okinawa, where fierce ground battles took place and over 200,000 lives were lost, as well as Hiroshima, one of the atomic-bombed sites.

He is scheduled to visit Nagasaki in September, and these destinations overlap with the journey taken by the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita from 1994 to the following year, the 50th year after the war, during which they visited regions symbolic of the last war.

In the official visit to Mongolia in July, a memorial was held for those who, after the defeat, were detained by the former Soviet Union and sent to Mongolia, where they lost their lives due to harsh labor and other reasons. This visit also shed light on the history of detention, which had not been widely known until now.

His Majesty the Emperor has repeatedly spoken about the importance of passing on the memories of war and the desire for peace to generations who have not experienced war.

At a press conference this February, he stated, As those who experienced the hardships during and after the war are aging and it is becoming difficult for them to pass on their stories, it is all the more meaningful today, 80 years after the war, that young people across the country are trying to learn about the war, growing as storytellers for the next generation, and engaging in activities to share the hardships of the wartime and postwar periods.

During visits to various places, discussions have also been held not only with war survivors and bereaved families, but also with young people who are working to pass on these experiences to the next generation.