On August 15, 1945, then-Emperor Hirohito announced the country’s surrender in a radio broadcast to the nation.

This event marked the end of the war for Japan, a nation devastated by the United States’ dropping of two atomic bombs a few days earlier on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively.

The traditional ceremony on this date in Tokyo is marked by providing space for several speakers on the importance of world peace.

Japanese officials insist that the country must learn from its past, to avoid making the same mistakes again, and also advocate for a world free of nuclear weapons, where peace can fully reign.

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