King Charles warns of war's 'true cost' at VJ Day's 80th anniversary

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's King Charles on Friday released a message commemorating the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marks the Allied victory over Japan and the end of World War Two, reflecting on current conflicts and warning that the cost of war reaches far beyond battlefields.

While fighting in Europe ended in May 1945, the conflict with Japan continued until it signalled its intention to surrender on August 15 that year after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.

Charles said the war's final act brought an "immense price" for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one he prayed no nation would ever pay again.

Charles will be joined by his wife Queen Camilla, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Japanese ambassador and veterans for a National Service of Remembrance to pay tribute to those who were killed in the last three months of the war.

There will be a flypast featuring historic military planes, a two-minute silence at midday and famous buildings across the country will be lit up to mark the occasion.

The monarch used his six-minute address to highlight ongoing conflicts: "War's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life, a tragedy all too vividly demonstrated by conflicts around the world today."

He said that in World War Two, nations that had never fought side by side learned to work together, proving "that in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear, but the arms you link".

"That remains a vital lesson for our times," he added.

Starmer said in a statement the "country owes a great debt to those who fought for a better future, so we could have the freedoms and the life we enjoy today".

At dawn military bagpipers performed at The Cenotaph war memorial in central London, at Edinburgh Castle and the National Memorial Arboretum in central England where the service of remembrance will be held later, the government said.

A piper was also expected to perform at a Japanese peace garden to recognise the reconciliation between Britain and Japan in the decades since the war ended.

On Friday evening, dozens of buildings and locations across the country including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and the White Cliffs of Dover will be illuminated to mark the anniversary.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Additional reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Toby Chopra)