Memorial Gathering for Siberian Detainees Held in Tokyo

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)--A memorial gathering was held in Tokyo on Sunday for those who died in detention in Siberia and elsewhere after being captured by the former Soviet Union following World War II.

About 200 people, including former detainees and bereaved family members, attended the civic group-sponsored event at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, offering flowers at the altar.

The gathering, the 24th of its kind, was held on the 81st anniversary of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's secret order of internment issued on Aug. 23, 1945.

The cemetery holds about 17,000 sets of remains of unidentified detainees, though many other remains are believed to be still uncollected.

In a speech, former detainee Masaru Nishikura, 101, said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the repatriation of detainees from Siberia.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]