80 Years On: Son of WWII Soldier Calls for Warless Country

   Kawagoe, Saitama Pref., Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)--Hajime Eda, 82, a representative of bereaved relatives of World War II victims, delivered a speech at this year's war-end anniversary ceremony on Friday, voicing his hope to keep Japan out of war.
   Eda's father, Tomiji, was mobilized for a second time in April 1945 to build an airfield on the Korean Peninsula. Six days after Japan surrendered on Aug. 15 that year, a repatriation ship carrying Tomiji hit a sea mine and sank.
   Tomiji died at 30, never having met his daughter, who was born that month. His remains were not returned to his family.
   "The sorrow of my father, who looked forward to a future with his family, is immeasurable," Eda said in the speech.
   After the war ended, Eda lived in the home where Tomiji was born into a farming family. Eda's mother raised him by cultivating rice and raising silkworms with his grandparents. He now thanks her for "carefully raising me without my father."

(2025/08/15-21:00)

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