98-year-old calls for remembering 3.1 million Japanese lives lost in war
With the war a distant memory for many, Kazuhiko Takahashi marked the 81st anniversary of the war's end with a pledge to pursue peace.
Kazuhiko Takahashi, a 98-year-old war bereaved relative, attended the 81st anniversary ceremony marking the end of World War II in Tokyo on August 16. At the age of 98, he is the oldest person to attend the event. Takahashi emphasizes the importance of remembering that approximately 3.1 million Japanese people perished during the war.
With the atrocities of war fading from memory for many, he decided to attend the ceremony to promote peace. Takahashi lives in Kawasaki, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. He lost his 11-year-older brother, Tomihiko, in the Philippines. Tomihiko, who graduated from Waseda University, joined the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1942 and served as a fighter jet maintenance specialist.
He traveled through the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Despite his brother's fearsome reputation after their father, Takahashi recalls fond memories of Tomihiko playing with a toy steam locomotive and visiting bookstores together.
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