Sapporo, Oct. 31 (Jiji Press)--Former residents of Russian-held islands called the Northern Territories in Japan took a chartered flight Saturday to fly near the northwestern Pacific islands so that they can pay respect to their ancestors from above.

The aerial memorial service was held mainly because the two countries have suspended exchange programs, including one to allow former residents to visit graves of their relatives and ancestors on the islands claimed by Japan, due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This was the second such memorial service. The first one took place in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Nov. 7 this year, a similar event is slated to be held.

Saturday's service was attended by 34 people, including former islanders and their families. The chartered plane left Nemuro Nakashibetsu Airport in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, around 10:45 a.m., and participants put their hands together in the sky around 11 a.m.

"When I see the islands from above, I remember my hometown and feel nostalgic," said participant Tomie Nishidate, 89, a former resident of Kunashiri Island, part of the Northern Territories.

Kuni Tabata (back), a former resident of Kunashiri Island, one of the Russian-held islands called the Northern Territories in Japan, and her daughter, Hitomi Hoshi, put their hands together inside a chartered plane flying near the Northern Territories for an aerial memorial service Saturday morning. (Pool photo)

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