US, Japan marks 70th anniversary of WWII end

Japanese and US cities, along with the US Navy, are holding a joint memorial service in Pearl Harbour to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Japanese and US cities, along with the US Navy, are holding a joint memorial service in Pearl Harbour to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Japan's Emperor Akihito, right, delivers his remarks with Empress Michiko during a memorial service at Nippon Budokan martial arts hall in Tokyo (AP Photo)

Mayors and city council members from Honolulu and Nagaoka are coming together with the US Pacific Fleet commander for Friday's event.

They plan to lay wreaths and float lanterns. Fireworks resembling white chrysanthemum flowers will be launched at the end of the ceremony. White chrysanthemums are often presented at memorial services in Japan.

Nagaoka is the hometown of the late Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the US into the war in 1941. It is one of Honolulu's sister cities and is famous for fireworks. The city in Niigata prefecture was bombed by US planes during the final stages of the war.

The war ended when Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, which was still Aug. 14 in Hawaii and other parts of the US

The December 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor killed about 2,400 sailors, Marines and soldiers on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Around the world, there were 15 million battle deaths and 45 million civilian deaths from the war, according to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.