明仁天皇終戰70週年全文

終戦の日：天皇陛下おことば全文…全国戦没者追悼式

　「戦没者を追悼し平和を祈念する日」に当たり、全国戦没者追悼式に臨み、さきの大戦において、かけがえのない命を失った数多くの人々とその遺族を思い、深い悲しみを新たにいたします。

　終戦以来既に７０年、戦争による荒廃からの復興、発展に向け払われた国民のたゆみない努力と、平和の存続を切望する国民の意識に支えられ、我が国は今日の平和と繁栄を築いてきました。戦後という、この長い期間における国民の尊い歩みに思いを致すとき、感慨は誠に尽きることがありません。

　ここに過去を顧み、さきの大戦に対する深い反省と共に、今後、戦争の惨禍が再び繰り返されぬことを切に願い、全国民と共に、戦陣に散り戦禍に倒れた人々に対し、心からなる追悼の意を表し、世界の平和と我が国の一層の発展を祈ります。

Address by H.M. the Emperor on the Occasion of the Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead

August 15, 2015

On this Day to Commemorate the War Dead and Pray for Peace, my thoughts are with the people who lost their precious lives in the last war and their bereaved families, as I attend this Memorial Ceremony with a deep and renewed sense of sorrow.

Seventy years have passed since the end of the war, and our country today enjoys peace and prosperity, thanks to the ceaseless efforts made by the people of Japan towards recovery from the devastation of the war and towards development, always backed by their earnest desire for the continuation of peace.  When I look back on the arduous and sincere steps taken by the people in the course of this long postwar period, I cannot help but be overcome with deep emotion.

Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse over the last war, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated.  Together with all of our people, I now pay my heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives in the war, both on the battlefields and elsewhere, and pray for world peace and for the continuing development of our country.

August 15, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)