Detainees held in Siberia after World War II remembered in Tokyo

On Sunday, a memorial gathering was held in Tokyo to honor those who died in detention after being captured by the Soviet Union following World War II. Around 200 people, including former detainees and bereaved family members, attended the event at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, laying flowers at the altar.

This event marked the 24th gathering of its kind, held on the 81st anniversary of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's secret order for internment issued on August 23, 1945. The cemetery currently holds about 17,000 sets of remains of unidentified detainees, with more believed to be uncollected.

Former detainee Masaru Nishikura, 101, delivered a speech during the ceremony. He noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of repatriation of detainees from Siberia. Due to the dwindling number of survivors, Nishikura expressed hope that the full picture of the tragedy will be made clear and passed on to ensure lessons are learned.

For the first time in 15 years, bereaved family members from South Korea attended the memorial. A 65-year-old man, whose father was a detainee, gave a eulogy in Korean and discussed the struggles former detainees faced upon returning home.

The gathering aimed to remember the wounds left by the war and emphasize the importance of dignity for human beings and the preciousness of peace, according to a South Korean attendee. On Sunday night, a four-day event began, where about 120 people, including bereaved families, read out a list of approximately 46,300 victims compiled by the late Tsuneo Murayama, a former detainee.