Japan Press Weekly

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2009 March 4 - 10 [PEACE]

Tokyo air raid commemorated

On March 9, about 1,000 people took part in a ceremony to mark the 64th anniversary of the massive Tokyo air raid by U.S. forces on March 10, 1945.

The event took place in front of the cenotaph and the statue of a mother and baby, both built in 2005 under the initiative of essayist Ebina Kayoko.

Ebina talked about her experience of losing six family members in the air raid and her struggle to live as a war orphan after that. “The memory still brings me tears. In order to prevent wars, let us protect peace and tell others how painful wars are,” she said.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi and House of Representatives member Kasai Akira attended the ceremony.

Ichida said, “As politicians, it is our important responsibility to create a peaceful society.” “Building a society where Article 9 will be in full force is the way to respond to the victims’ voices. We will do our utmost to realize this,” he added.