Japan has commemorated 80 years since its surrender in World War II with a Tokyo memorial attended by Emperor Naruhito, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged the nation would never again go to war.
The ceremony at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena on Friday brought together about 3,400 bereaved family members to honour those killed in the conflict. Empress Masako joined the emperor in leading tributes, while Prime Minister Ishiba, marking his first wartime anniversary since taking office last year, renewed Japan’s post-war commitment to peace.
The event fell on the date in 1945 when Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in a radio broadcast, ending the Second World War. Ishiba’s speech avoided direct reference to Japan’s wartime aggression, a practice followed by several recent leaders, but he also refrained from issuing a formal memorial statement — a step taken by his predecessors on the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries. Such declarations have often drawn close scrutiny from China and South Korea, which endured occupation and conflict under Japanese rule.
Japan has maintained a pacifist stance under its war-renouncing Constitution, allowing the use of force only for self-defence. Relations with China and South Korea remain shaped by historical grievances, while ties with the United States have evolved into a close security alliance since 1945.
Last week, at ceremonies marking the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Ishiba called for a world without nuclear weapons. The U.S. remains the only nation to have used nuclear arms in war, striking the two Japanese cities days before Tokyo’s surrender.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year declared 8 May as U.S. Victory Day in World War II.
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Armenia’s National Assembly election on 7 June is increasingly being viewed not only as a domestic political contest, but also as a vote that could shape the future direction of the South Caucasus.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he sees progress between Israel and Lebanon after talks with Netanyahu, while Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire proposal and Israel has ruled out a troop withdrawal.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement that its Aerospace Force did not strike the Kuwait Airport passenger terminal on Wednesday, and that the destruction was instead caused by a failed U.S. Patriot missile.
Five Azerbaijani citizens have been killed and three others injured following drone attacks on two cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Azerbaijan has strongly rejected allegations published by CNN claiming that its territory was used for Israeli military and intelligence operations against Iran, describing the report as entirely baseless and demanding a retraction.
As Armenia heads toward parliamentary elections on 7 June, the country's relationship with Azerbaijan is emerging as one of the defining issues of the campaign, with analysts and international observers highlighting the role of regional politics in shaping voters’ mindsets.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a vote that will shape the country’s political direction for the next five years. Understanding how the electoral system converts votes into parliamentary power is key to following the outcome and its wider regional implications.
People across Gaza are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, with millions struggling to access food, clean water, shelter and medical care as the conflict continues.
The next time a goal goes in during a Champions League final, fans around the world could watch it from every angle at once — frozen, rotated and replayed in ways that were impossible only a few years ago.
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Financial markets are significantly underestimating the economic impact of biodiversity loss, potentially leaving countries exposed to sovereign debt crises and rising borrowing costs, according to new research published on Friday.
Five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were instructed to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation on Friday after an air leak in the Russian segment of the orbital outpost worsened, according to NASA.
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