SCOTLAND will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the moment which brought the Second World War to an end this week with an online service of remembrance and a two-minute silence.
On August 15, 1945, Japan publicly announced its surrender, resulting in an end to the conflict in the Far East.
Victory in Japan (VJ) Day will be marked on Saturday with an online commemoration service and concert, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issuing a message of thanks to the generation which lived through the conflict.
The Red Arrows will also perform a flypast of Edinburgh, as the first stop on a UK-wide tour.
Claire Armstrong, chief executive of Legion Scotland, said: “Whilst VE Day marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in bitter fighting in the Far East.
READ MORE: VE Day: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to WW2 veterans
“This campaign saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War and in some of the harshest conditions with many thousands of British and Commonwealth forces and civilians being taken as prisoners of war, enduring terrible mental and physical trauma.
“Victory over Japan came at a heavy price.”
Veterans Minister Graeme Dey said the country owed an “immense debt of gratitude” to current and ex-service personnel.
He said: “The 75th anniversary of VJ Day is a time for the nation to come together to remember the sacrifices made by those individuals, from across Scotland and the UK, the Commonwealth and our Allied Nations, which ensured the peace and freedoms we enjoy today.
“All households were impacted in some way by the Second World War and it is important that we learn from those experiences so that the awful events that cost so many lives during the Second World War are never repeated.”
Legion Scotland will also be issuing commemorative medallions in honour of those who made a contribution to the war effort.
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