King Charles III has paid tribute to those whose service and sacrifice brought an end to World War Two, marking the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ) Day.
In an audio message recorded earlier this month, the King vowed that those who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East “shall never be forgotten.” He, the Queen, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will attend a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire later today.
VJ Day, observed annually on 15 August, marks Japan’s surrender in 1945, ending the war. Around 71,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth died fighting Japan, including more than 12,000 prisoners of war held in Japanese captivity.
Reflecting on his grandfather King George VI’s 1945 announcement that the war had ended, Charles said that day had been “the message a battle-weary world had long prayed for.” He honoured soldiers of the so-called “Forgotten Army” who fought under Lord Mountbatten and General William Slim in Burma, as well as Allied pilots, POWs, and civilians in occupied territories.
The King acknowledged the suffering of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where over 200,000 people died in the atomic bombings, but stressed the importance of remembering “how great was the cause and how sweet the victory.” He called for unity, saying “the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear, but the arms you link.”
Commemorations began Thursday evening with a sunset ceremony at London’s Memorial Gates and a projection display honouring Commonwealth contributions. At dawn, pipers played at the National Memorial Arboretum, Edinburgh Castle, and a Japanese peace garden in London. Today’s service will include a national two-minute silence, an RAF Red Arrows flypast, and a reception for veterans.
Events will continue into the autumn, concluding with a veterans’ reception at Windsor Castle.
In Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba marked the anniversary by urging peace and expressing “remorse” over the war, a first for a Japanese leader since 2012. Thousands visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals. Photo by Arnaud Bouissou, Wikimedia commons.