This screen grab made from a video taken and released by Mannar Levo shows security officials restraining a man (yellow shirt) who attacked a Japanese sailor with scissors during a World War II memorial ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal, in Honiara on the Solomon Islands on August 8, 2022. Photo: VCG

A man described as "mentally affected" injured a Japanese sailor during a World War II memorial ceremony in Solomon Islands Monday before bystanders, including military personnel, overpowered him.

Video of the incident showed half a dozen servicemen, including US forces, trying to control a bearded man in a yellow T-shirt struggling on the ground.

One of the servicemen loses his cap, falls over and rolls a short way down a hill as the assailant scrambles away before being trapped in a headlock and carried away by local officials.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was among those attending the ceremony at Bloody Ridge near Honiara to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal, a six-month campaign that took place in August 1942 that decisively reversed the thrust of aggression of the imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific.

The injured man was a 27-year-old media spokesperson on the Japanese destroyer JS Karasame, which was visiting as part of a regional training exercise, said an official at the Japanese embassy who asked not to be named.

The embassy official, who had no details of the incident itself, said the injured member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force was given first aid by an ambulance at the scene.

The ambulance rushed him to a hotel for further treatment by US medical staff who were staying there. He was then taken back to his ship, where he was confirmed to have "no problem at all," the official said.

The Solomon Islands' culture and tourism ministry, which hosted the memorial, formally apologized in a ceremony shortly after the assault.

"We know it could have been worse, could have threatened his life," said Barney Sivoro, permanent secretary of the ministry, applauding the "swift action" by those standing nearby to bring the man under control.

The man had been arrested "on the spot" by police and would be dealt with according to the law, Sivoro said. "The government and its people are really sorry for what happened today."