Emperor, Empress mourn for WWII civilian sailor victims

January 22, 2019

Yokosuka, Kanagawa Pref.--Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko mourned on Monday tens of thousands of civilian mariners who lost their lives in attacks by the Allied powers during World War II.

They laid white chrysanthemums at a cenotaph in Kannonzaki Park in the port city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, before going to an Imperial villa in the Kanagawa town of Hayama to take a rest. They will return to Tokyo on Friday.

After the floral tribute, the Emperor and Empress bowed deeply.

Later, the Emperor told Mitsuko Goto, 86, a representative to the bereaved families, that he was sorry for the deaths of the mariners. "Please stay healthy," he also said.

The Imperial couple attended the first memorial service held to mark the establishment of the cenotaph in 1971, when they were Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Since becoming Emperor and Empress, they have continued praying for the deceased sailors totaling over 60,000 aboard requisitioned civilian ships attacked during the war by visiting the memorial from time to time. Jiji Press