People in Tokyo have remembered the victims of the 1945 US air raid on the Japanese capital in a memorial service held exactly 80 years after the incident.



The massive attack by US B-29 bombers in the early hours of March 10, 1945, toward the end of World War Two, devastated residential areas in eastern Tokyo. About 100,000 people were killed.



Many bereaved family members attended the service at a metropolitan memorial hall in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Monday. Crown Prince and Princess Akishino were also present.



The remains of more than 100,000 people, including those who died in aerial bombings after the March attack, are stored in the hall. Most of them have not been identified.



Aoyama Yasushi is the head of a Tokyo group dedicated to the memories of the victims of war and natural disasters.



In his address, Aoyama said it is a mission for people who live today to pass down the memories of the tragic incident to the next generation so that the lessons learned will be put to good use in the future.



About 160 people, including Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and bereaved family members, offered incense and prayed for the repose of the victims.



Flower stands were set up outside the hall. Many people offered prayers in memory of loved ones who died in the air raid.