Japan on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II with a national ceremony at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan. About 4,500 dignitaries, bereaved families and officials observed a noon moment of silence—exactly when Emperor Hirohito’s broadcast was first heard on 15 Aug. 1945—while chrysanthemums were laid for the nation’s estimated three million war dead. Emperor Naruhito expressed “deep remorse” and pledged to ensure that the tragedy of war is never repeated. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, facing a more assertive security debate at home and renewed scrutiny from Asian neighbours, called the war “a mistake” and, for the first time since 2013, used the word “remorse” in an August-15 address by a Japanese leader. Ishiba refrained from visiting the contentious Yasukuni Shrine, but Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and 87 other lawmakers paid respects there, drawing criticism from China and South Korea, which urged Tokyo to confront the legacy of its wartime aggression. The commemorations come as memories of the conflict fade. A June survey by the Japanese Red Cross Society found that 25.8% of respondents did not know the date of Japan’s surrender, underscoring concerns about passing wartime lessons to younger generations. Parallel events were held across Asia and North America, including exhibitions in Beijing and memorial services in Ottawa, reflecting a wider effort to preserve historical awareness eight decades after the guns fell silent.