A memorial service for victims of the Great Tokyo Air Raid was held on March 10, marking 81 years since the 1945 attack that claimed about 100,000 lives. The ceremony took place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward, attended by Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and bereaved family members. It commemorates the U.S. B-29 bombers' incendiary bombing in the pre-dawn hours of that day.
On March 10, 1945, in the pre-dawn hours, a fleet of U.S. B-29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs over what is now Sumida Ward and other areas of Tokyo, in an attack known as the Great Tokyo Air Raid that claimed about 100,000 lives. Exactly 81 years later, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, a memorial service for the victims was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, as well as Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and bereaved family members. Amid a cold rain, a steady flow of people laid floral tributes at a stand in front of the hall from early morning.
An 81-year-old woman from Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, shared her story of losing her aunt and four young cousins, whose remains were never recovered. "I come here every year because I never want to forget my aunt and cousins," she said. "I hope there will never be another war that drags in so many civilians."
The event serves as a reminder of the raid's devastation during World War II, with sources noting its impact on U.S.-Japan relations.
