King Charles led VJ Day commemorations in the UK as a national service of remembrance and two-minute silence marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the second world war. He was joined by the queen, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and veterans who served in the far east theatres of war as wreaths were laid at the National Memorial Arboretum service in Staffordshire.
Powerful testimonies read aloud reminded of the terrible cost of war, while a flypast featured the Red Arrows and historic second world war aircraft, including a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster bomber. Guests of honour included 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105. A Royal Navy veteran, Alfred Conway, from Lincolnshire, watched as his great granddaughter laid a wreath on the Burma railway memorial. George Durrant, who served in the intelligence corps, appeared on stage to urge people not to forget the sacrifices made by his comrades.
In Japan, Emperor Naruhito spoke of his “deep remorse” on the anniversary and said he felt “a deep and renewed sense of sorrow” in a sombre speech. A visit by two cabinet ministers to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo angered countries that suffered Japanese military atrocities, particularly China and South Korea. The shrine honours 2.5 million mostly Japanese soldiers but also enshrines convicted war criminals. Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, sent a customary offering to Yasukuni, but no Japanese prime minister has visited the shrine since 2013.
In an audio message, King Charles spoke of allied prisoners of war “who endured years of brutal captivity: the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance” and the “mental and physical scars” the war left. He vowed the service and sacrifice of VJ Day heroes “shall never be forgotten”. In what is believed to be the most direct reference by a British monarch to the suffering in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he said: “We should also pause to acknowledge that in the war’s final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a price we pray no nation need ever pay again.”
More than 90,000 British troops were casualties in the war against Japan, and nearly 30,000 died, while over 12,000 Britons were among the 190,000 Commonwealth troops held as prisoners of war. Of the Allied forces, the US suffered the greatest losses, with more than 100,000 killed in action. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, more than 200,000 people were killed by the US bombs and in the months after succumbing to radiation sickness and other injuries.
Hundreds of buildings across the UK were due to be lit up on Friday evening to mark VJ Day 80, including Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, the Shard, Blackpool Tower, and the White Cliffs of Dover.
