A memorial service for fallen members of the Self-Defense Forces was held at the Defense Ministry, attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
"The Self-Defense Forces personnel who died in the line of duty are the pride of our nation," Kishida said at the ceremony on Saturday. "We will carry on their legacy and resolutely protect the lives of the Japanese people and their peaceful way of life."
Thirty-five SDF personnel died in the year-long period from September 2021, including two people who were killed in January when an F-15 fighter jet from the Air Self-Defense Force's Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture crashed into the Sea of Japan.
A total of 2,054 personnel have died in the line of duty since the Self-Defense Forces' predecessor, the National Police Reserve, was established in 1950.
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