CANBERRA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs Darren Chester commemorated the anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday.
August 15th is the 73rd anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day, the day that Japan surrendered to the Allies after continuing to fight in the Pacific months after victory was declared in Europe in May 1945.
Chester paid tribute to all Australians who died fighting in the war but especially those who fought in the Pacific.
"During the Second World War almost 40,000 Australians lost their lives, including more than 17,000 in the war against Japan, some 8,000 of these died in Japanese captivity," he said in a media release on Wednesday.
"We owe those men and women a great debt of gratitude and we will never forget.
"I encourage all Australians to reflect and remember the almost 1 million Australian men and women who served during the Second World War and particularly those who served in the Pacific against Japan."
More than 22,000 Australian soldiers were taken captive by the Japanese as prisoners of war (POWs), a third of whom never made it home.
Of the 8,000 Australian POWs who died in Japanese captivity, approximately 2,800 lost their lives while building the Thai-Burma railway.
Chester announced that a ceremony would be held in the Victorian city of Ballarat, 120 km west of Melbourne, in October to "commemorate the completion of the Thai-Burma Railway and 75th anniversary of the construction of its most infamous section, Hellfire Pass."
"This commemoration will honour the more than 2,800 Australians who lost their lives as prisoners of war working on the railway," he said.
"I encourage all Australians to attend this service, hear the stories of those held prisoner by the Japanese and honor the sacrifice of all those who lost their lives as prisoners of war in the Pacific."
