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Japan

Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan attend war memorial service

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan have attended the war memorial service for those who fought in World War II.

The ceremony took place in the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo and was held for the first time in three years due to the global health crisis. While most royals in Europe have stopped wearing masks as the pandemic has slowly subsided, Japan is still facing high numbers of infections. As such, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and all those in attendance wore masks, following health guidelines in Japan.

This year’s ceremony included the interment of 217 people, some of whose bodies were collected from Russia. The Crown Prince Couple were joined by government officials and around 60 relatives of the deceased.

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko bowed in front of the burial location before relatives laid flowers in tribute to their loved ones.

The cemetery is now the resting place of 370,269 people.

The Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery is where unidentified bodies were laid to rest after the war. It is located near the Imperial Palace and Yasukuni Shrine.

Crown Prince Akishino is the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, who came to the throne upon the abdication of their father, Akihito, in 2019.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.