TOKYO, March 10 (UPI) -- Tokyo on Thursday held memorial services to mark the 60th anniversary of the U.S. air raid in which about 100,000 people died.
At a memorial hall in Tokyo's Sumida district, one of the areas attacked in the air raid, about 320 people, including Prince Akishino and his wife, turned up to remember victims, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
In a message of condolence, Tokyo Vice Governor Masamichi Fukunaga said, "When I think of the sorrow over those whose lives were sacrificed and the deep sadness of the bereaved families who lost the ones they loved, I feel the deepest regret."
The U.S. air raid began at 12:08 a.m. on March 10, 1945, with 300 B-29 bombers dropping a massive number of incendiary bombs on the capital.
About 100,000 people died in the bombing, the majority of them ordinary residents. About 40,000 people were injured, and 270,000 homes were destroyed. The damaged area measured nearly 16 square miles.
