Proclamation
WHEREAS, The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a conflict that engulfed nations across the globe from 1931 to 1945 and remains the deadliest war in human history; and WHEREAS, The war claimed between 70 and 85 million lives worldwide and left more than 100 million people wounded, displaced, or missing, nearly one in twelve people on Earth at that time; and WHEREAS, Civilian losses were staggering across every continent: more than 20 million in the former Soviet Union, over 20 million in China, and millions more in Poland, Germany, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Africa; and
WHEREAS, The Holocaust stands as one of the darkest moral tragedies in human history, in which six million Jews, together with millions of Roma, Slavs, people with disabilities, and political prisoners, were systematically persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime, revealing the catastrophic consequence of hatred and dehumanization; and WHEREAS, Across Europe, millions of civilians in occupied nations, including Poland, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, and others, endured bombings, massacres, starvation, and displacement, suffering devastating loss of life and destruction of entire communities; and
WHEREAS, Among the atrocities of the war was the Nanjing Massacre in China, which lasted approximately six weeks, from December 13, 1937, to late January 1938, during which an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war were killed and tens of thousands of women were subjected to unspeakable violence, leaving the city in ruins and marking one of the darkest chapters in human history; and WHEREAS, During the war, an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 women and girls from across Asia, including Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Indonesians, Burmese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and others in occupied territories, were enslaved in military brothels as “comfort women,” subjected to years of unspeakable abuse, loss of dignity, and death; and WHEREAS, Across Asia, millions of civilians, including Allied prisoners of war, endured forced labor, displacement, famine, and violence under wartime occupation, where many perished under starvation and brutal conditions; and WHEREAS, During the war, countless prisoners of war and civilians in both Asia and Europe were subjected to inhumane medical and scientific experiments, including biological and chemical weapon testing, sterilization, and torture, inflicting unbearable suffering and violating the most basic principles of humanity; and WHEREAS, In August 1945, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki claimed approximately 140,000 and 70,000 lives respectively by year’s end, with many more suffering in the years that followed from radiation exposure, injury, and loss; and
WHEREAS, The horrors of World War II, the Holocaust, the Nanjing Massacre, the mass bombings of cities, the atrocities committed against civilians, and the use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, stand as solemn reminders of our shared responsibility to safeguard peace and protect every human life; and WHEREAS, We must remember that these acts were committed by militarist and fascist regimes, and not by nations or their peoples as a whole, for the vast majority of people in every country were, and remain, peace-loving individuals who wish only to live with dignity, safety, and harmony; and WHEREAS, Eighty years after the end of the war, humanity’s greatest strength lies in its capacity for healing, compassion, and cooperation, uniting people of all ancestral backgrounds to build a world founded on understanding, respect, and love; and
WHEREAS, The City of Cupertino joins the global community in solemn remembrance of the victims of World War II, civilians and soldiers alike, and in honoring the survivors who endured unimaginable hardship; and WHEREAS, Remembrance is not only an act of mourning but also a moral responsibility, reminding us that peace can never be taken for granted and that compassion must be practiced every day; and WHEREAS, Cupertino’s diverse community includes descendants of those who lived through the war on many sides, now united in friendship and shared commitment to building a world guided by empathy and mutual respect.
THEREFORE, I, Liang Chao, and the Cupertino City Council do hereby commemorate The 80thAnniversary of the end of World War II
in the City of Cupertino and calls upon all residents to reflect upon the lessons of World War II, to cherish peace, to stand against hatred and tyranny, to uphold human dignity in all nations, and to remember the tragedies of the past so that humanity never repeats them.
IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the City of Cupertino to be affixed this Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
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The Honorable Liang Chao
Mayor, City of Cupertino