World War II commemoration programme on May 20

Our correspondent
Imphal, April 25 (EMN): Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu will be visiting Manipur again to participate in the annual 2nd World War commemoration programme in the Northeastern state on May 20 next.
To oversee overall situation and subsequent planning for the Ambassador’s visit, Deputy Head (Political section) Shumichi Inoue was here on a 3-day visit to various World War II memorial sites in the state including War cemetery, Maibam Lokpa Ching(Red hills),INA memoial complex,Moirang and Khoyathong.
On his concluding day on Tuesday, Japanese envoy had a brief interaction with the World War II victims’ families at the Khurai Chingangbam Mandop where around 100 people have lost their lives when Japanese air force dropped its second bomb at Khurai Thangjam Leikai on April 20,1943.“Now Japan and India are close friends and we’re doing lot of partnership projects in India and elsewhere between the two governments,” he said while sharing condolences for the loss during the war that happened 74 years ago from now. “We’ve also become friends with United Kingdom and Unites States and we would like to continue this activity of reconciliation and we would further strengthen especially young people of Imphal and young people of Japan and promote Japan-Indian relations.”
A relative of war II victim, writer and sahitya academy awardee Khuraijam Nimaicharan also shared his feeling about the war briefly during the interaction which was attended by sons,grandsons and relatives of the then war victims. On Thursday, people of Khurai in Manipur’s Imphal East district had even paid homage to the victims of World War II bombing at the historic mandop. In November last year, Japanese Ambassador had already visited Manipur, Nagaland which have many remnants of World War II besides being an important part of the reconciliation process between Japan and Britain.