Tribute to January 13th freedom victory paid at the Embassy of Lithuania in Japan
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of January 13 – Freedom Defenders' Day – and to honor those who died for freedom of Lithuania on January 13, commemorative candles – a symbol of unity and victory – were lit at the Lithuanian Embassy in Japan.
In January 1991, Lithuanian citizens, led by the pursuit of unity and freedom, achieved a historic victory. The nation resisted the aggression of the Soviet occupiers and local collaborators and the attempt to carry out a coup by military force and defended the independence of the restored Lithuanian state.
On the occasion of January 13, Hiratsuka Tsuchikawa Junior High School students sent their drawings to the Embassy. They drew the drawings after a lesson about Lithuania and January 13.
The citizens‘ initiative "Memory is alive because it testifies" to lit a candle has been organized since 2008. The candle symbolizes light, justice, memory and bonfires of freedom defenders.
