75th Anniversary of VE Day Speech By Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II marked the 75th anniversary of VE day with a speech remembering the time when her father, King George VI, reminded the British people of the sacrifices the armed forces made during World War II.

Emperor Akihito's Message of Peace

Today, Emperor Akihito and Emperor Michiko of Japan attended a memorial service at Nippon Budokan Hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo in remembrance of August 15, 1945 when Emperor Hirohito announced on a radio broadcast the surrender of Japan to Allied forces after atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The formal surrender took place on the U.S.S. Missouri, September 2, 1945.

The emperor expressed his thoughts of that fateful day by saying: "Together with all the Japanese people, I pay a heartfelt tribute to those who lost their lives on the battlefield and fell in the ravages of war, and pray for world peace and further development of our country."