Wales marks 80th anniversary of VJ Day
Special services are taking place across South Wales to mark 80 years since the end of war with Japan
Special services are taking place across South Wales to mark 80 years since the end of war with Japan.
The Deputy First Minister represented Wales at a service at the Wales National War Memorial.
The memorial will honour the Welsh veterans who served in Asia Pacific during the Second World War.
Huw Irranca-Davies laid a wreath, alongside MP Dame Nia Griffiths and Mr Masaki Ikegami, Deputy Ambassador for the Japanese Embassy in the UK.
VJ Day, on the 15th August, commemorates the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War.
"We must ensure their stories and sacrifices are never forgotten"
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said:
"Today we honour the Welsh veterans and all those who served in Asia Pacific during the Second World War.
"On this 80th anniversary, we remember not only their service, but also the importance of reconciliation.
"We must ensure their stories and sacrifices are never forgotten, so that future generations can understand the true cost of war and the value of peace."
It's understood around 71,000 soldiers from Britain and Commonwealth countries died fighting Japan.
Royal British Legion (RBL) guests of honour will attend a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum including 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific.
105-year-old Second World War veteran Owen Filer, from Cwmbran, South Wales, who served with in the Army with the Royal Welsh is due to attend.
Around five million men and women served in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, with millions more mobilised from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, Canada, and across the Commonwealth including African and Caribbean nations.
Events in South Wales:
In Llanelli, the Royal British Legion and St Elli Parish Church, are hosting a Service of Commemoration to mark the anniversary.
The service will take place on Friday, 15th August 2025 at 7:00 pm at St Elli Church (Eglwys y Plwyf), Llanelli.
To mark the occasion, the church bells will ring out from 6:30 pm, in remembrance and reflection.
In a statement the Llanelli branch of the RBL said:
"This important milestone gives us the opportunity to come together as a community to remember those who served in the Far East, to honour their courage and sacrifice, and to ensure their legacy lives on. "
In Cardiff, a VJ80 Commemoration Service will be held in The City Parish of St John the Baptist Church (also known as St John’s Church).
At Barry War Museum and Heritage Center they'll be holding a talk on one person’s life in Burma, a display of a Chindits time in Burma and a local eukele group will be singing 1940s songs.