1945 Tokyo Air Raid commemorated with pledge of peace

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

1945 Tokyo Air Raid commemorated with pledge of peace

People who experienced the Great Tokyo Air Raid along with bereaved family members on March 9 and 10 gathered together in Taito ward on the 65th anniversary of the Air Raid to pass down the memories of the tragedy to the next generations with a pledge of peace.

In the 1945 Air Raid, U.S. bombers set the whole downtown area on fire, causing the deaths of a hundred thousand men, women, and children.

On March 9, 2010, a ceremony took place in front of a peace monument. Ebina Kayoko, an essayist and wife of a deceased rakugo storyteller, told of the loss of her six family members as well as friends and neighbors in the Air Raid and of her intention to work with others for peace so that there shall be no war again.

At a meeting held on March 10 near Kototoi Bridge on the River Sumida where many people in 1945 were said to have jumped in an attempt to escape the raging fire. 160 people attended this memorial service. A cenotaph now stands at the foot of the bridge.

Koike Akira, Japanese Communist Party House of Councilors member who took part in the service, said “Postwar generations are responsible to firmly hold on to Article 9 of the Constitution as a guarantee that no war takes place.”

Referring to Japan-U.S. secret agreements in regard to the United States military bringing nuclear weapons into Japan, Koike emphasized that the bringing-in of nuclear weapons into Japan is unconscionable.

- Akahata, March 10-11, 2010