A ceremony has been held on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines to remember those killed during a fierce battle near the end of World War Two.

Prayers were offered on Friday at a former cemetery for Japanese nationals in the suburbs of Davao, the central city on Mindanao Island. About 150 participants laid flowers to commemorate both Japanese and Filipino victims.

Before the war, many Japanese lived and worked in the Davao area to produce hemp -- a key material for ships' ropes and other military supplies. The Japanese population is said to have reached 20,000 at its peak -- the largest in Southeast Asia at the time.

But fighting between Japanese and American troops in 1945 forced many civilians and soldiers to flee into the mountains. More than 9,000 people are said to have died from disease and hunger.

A 92-year-old Japanese woman was among those who joined the ceremony. She said her father and brother died in the mountains. She said there was no food, and nowhere to go. She said she hopes war will never happen again.

Japanese lawmaker Shiomura Ayaka lost a relative in the battle in the Philippines. She said she joined the ceremony for the first time, and learned that there were many Japanese citizens in Davao who were caught up in the war. She said she felt that she must think anew about the meaning of peace.