The Philippines held a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of a fierce battle on its Leyte island during World War Two. Participants renewed their pledge to never wage war again.
The Battle of Leyte broke out on October 20, 1944. US General Douglas MacArthur led a massive Allied force of around 200,000 troops and landed on the central Philippine island. The forces clashed with the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military, in a conflict which lasted for more than two months.
More than 700 people took part in the ceremony on Sunday to remember the victims. Attendees included officials from the US and Japanese embassies in the Philippines, as well as local residents.
Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya offered a wreath and delivered a speech. He said, “We, the Japanese people, are determined to never allow the devastation of war to be repeated ever again for the sake of present and future generations.”
In the Battle of Leyte, around 80,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives in ground combat alone. Many residents of the island were also caught in the fighting and killed. The exact number of victims remains unclear.
A local man, who said he was 100 years old, laid flowers at a tomb of the Philippine war dead. He said he was sad, as his father was killed by Japanese soldiers.