TOKYO, Aug 6: Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city, with Mayor Kazumi Matsui urging world leaders to abandon nuclear deterrence and warning that continued reliance on nuclear weapons could lead to another Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Speaking at the annual memorial ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Matsui said major powers were justifying the possession of nuclear weapons while conflicts continued around the world.
“Downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one’s own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki,” he said in his peace declaration.
The mayor said many political leaders still viewed nuclear deterrence as a realistic security strategy, a stance that only pushed the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons further out of reach. He also urged people across the world to learn from history and work together to prevent future nuclear tragedies.
Around 50,000 people, including representatives from nearly 120 countries and regions, attended the ceremony. A minute of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the exact time a US B-29 bomber dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A peace bell rang out in remembrance of the victims.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the Hiroshima memorial for the first time as Prime Minister. She said Japan would pursue “a realistic approach” toward ensuring nuclear weapons are never used while continuing to work within the framework of the United Nations’ Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
This year’s observance comes amid speculation that Takaichi’s government may review Japan’s post-war three non-nuclear principles while preparing new security and defence policy documents later this year. Takaichi has previously suggested reconsidering the third principle, which prohibits the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan.
Although she reaffirmed that Japan currently adheres to the three non-nuclear principles, she stopped short of committing to maintaining the policy unchanged in the future.
Atomic bomb survivors have expressed growing concern over increasing international support for nuclear deterrence, including within Japan. While Japan remains under the protection of the US nuclear umbrella, successive governments have declined requests from survivors to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or participate in its meetings as an observer.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of that year. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, claiming about 70,000 lives. Japan announced its surrender on August 15, bringing World War II to an end.
According to official figures, the number of surviving atomic bomb victims has declined to 91,105, with their average age now exceeding 86 years. Survivors continue to warn that as their generation fades, the memories and lessons of the bombings risk being forgotten.
