A Korean Air Lines passenger plane was shot down by Soviet forces 40 years ago. A memorial was held in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido on Friday for those who were killed in the crash.

The airplane was shot down by a Soviet fighter jet over waters off the Far Eastern region of Sakhalin on September 1,1983.

All 269 passengers and crew aboard, including 28 Japanese, were killed.

About 200 people, including relatives of the victims, attended the memorial event in the city of Wakkanai, which faces Sakhalin across the sea.

Participants offered silent prayers for the victims. They also launched balloons in memory of the victims and prayed for peace.

Yamaguchi Masahi from Hyogo Prefecture lost his father, who was then 32 years old, in the incident.

He said that he doesn't want the incident to be forgotten, and that he will do what he can to make the world a peaceful place.

Kawana Masahiro from Shizuoka Prefecture lost his brother who was on board the plane.

Kawana said that 40 years have passed too quickly. He said that he wants to convey the memory of the incident to younger generations who don't know about it.