Okinawa marked the day when one of the harshest battles of World War II fought on the southern island ended 80 years ago.

The event is part of the Liverpool European Festival, which celebrates European culture in the city. Dorothea Muecke-Herzberg moved to the city in 1999 from Liverpool’s twin city of Cologne.

Picture special: Kent’s War in Colour. On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, colourised photos from our archive show life in Kent during the Second World War in a remarkable new way.