Overview

• At Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba used the word '反省' in his memorial speech, restoring that term after a 13-year absence.
• Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former minister Takayuki Kobayashi led a high-profile early-morning visit to Yasukuni Shrine.
• Long lines formed before opening at Yasukuni Shrine and the Chidorigafuchi War Dead Cemetery, signaling widespread public participation.
• Bereaved-family leaders warned that aging survivors and declining membership in associations threaten the transmission of firsthand wartime memories.
• Regional media outlets such as Chunichi Shimbun released a five-year archive of survivor interviews to safeguard fading testimonies.