A survivor of a devastating US air raid on Tokyo toward the end of World War Two has talked about her experiences ahead of the 78th anniversary of the attack.
The predawn raid on March 10, 1945, killed some 100,000 people.
Hiroyama Atsu was a sixth-grade elementary school student at the time of the bombing.
She spoke at an event in Tokyo on Sunday. About 100 people attended.
Hiroyama said she had been evacuated earlier than her parents. She said she thought they must have been killed as she saw the spreading fires and many dead people. But she added that she was able to meet them the next morning and clung to them and cried.
Hiroyama said Japan has enjoyed peace for 78 years but recent events make her feel frightened.
She said she hopes that countries can solve their problems not by war but through discussions or diplomacy.
One man in his 20s who attended the talk said he had learned about the air raids as a historical event but the survivor's story gave him a different viewpoint.