Nagasaki Marks 80 Years Since Atomic Bombing; Taiwan Attends Ceremony for 1st Time
More than 4,000 people, also including Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and ambassadors and other representatives from 94 countries and regions, attended the ceremony held at the Nagasaki Peace Park in the city.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki spoke about conflicts occurring around the world and expressed a sense of crisis, saying in the Nagasaki Peace Declaration, 'If we continue on this trajectory, we will end up thrusting ourselves into a nuclear war.' Suzuki himself is a second-generation hibakusha atomic bomb survivor.
'In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic-bombed city, it is essential to show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons,' the mayor added.
Ambassadors from countries and regions that did not attend last year's ceremony due to Nagasaki's decision not to invite Israel amid its attacks on Gaza — including nuclear powers the United States and the United Kingdom — were in attendance this year. Israel attended this year's ceremony.
Russia, which continues its aggression against Ukraine, and its ally Belarus attended the ceremony for the first time in four years.
Taiwan participated in the event for the first time. However, China and Ukraine, which typically attend the ceremony, were absent.
At 11:02 a.m., the time the atomic bomb exploded, the Bell of Nagasaki in the park was rung, and participants offered silent prayers to pay tribute to the victims.
In his declaration, Suzuki talked about the late Senji Yamaguchi, who in 1982 became the first hibakusha to address the U.N. General Assembly, and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations).
'Though the power of one person alone may be weak, if it will lead to great force to open a path to the future,' Suzuki said.
Suzuki's peace declaration was followed by the 'Pledge for Peace' read by Hiroshi Nishioka, who was representing the survivors. At 93 years old, Nishioka was the oldest hibakusha to make the pledge.
In his address, Ishiba said: 'We must pass down the memories of what unfolded here in Japan 80 years ago — the reality and the tragedy of war, and the brutal impact of the harm wrought by the atomic bombings. We must not allow those memories to fade away under any circumstances.'
Ishiba also quoted the late Takashi Nagai, a doctor and survivor of the bombing who devoted himself to treatment of other A-bomb sufferers in the city. 'The devastation that occurred in Nagasaki and Hiroshima must never be repeated,' he said.
At the ceremony, three notebooks containing the names of 3,167 people who were exposed to the atomic bombing and were confirmed to have died in the year through the end of July were dedicated. The number those who have died after being exposed to the atomic bombings stands at 201,942.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
12 hours ago
Hidankyo Member Denounces Nuclear Weapons at World Expo
Osaka, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)--Hiroshi Kanamoto, an official of Nihon Hidankyo, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, strongly denounced nuclear weapons in his lecture at the World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka on Tuesday. "Nuclear weapons are absolutely evil arms whose sole purpose is extinction, and their use must never be allowed," he said. Nihon Hidankyo is formally called the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. In the speech, he shared stories, including that of his sister, who survived the atomic bombing of the western Japan city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II. The sister, then 12, was exposed to radiation from the bomb 1.5 kilometers from ground zero. After losing most of her friends because of the bombing, she was unable to take joy in life. She married in defiance of opposition from her family, but her first child was stillborn, according to Kanamoto. Before she died of lung cancer, the sister told him, "If I could tell my country anything, I want to say, 'I'd like my youth back.'" Kanamoto recounted tearfully. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Japan's deepening political woes cloud budget, rate hike timing
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru attends a joint press briefing with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (not pictured) and European Council President Antonio Costa (not pictured), after their meeting at Prime Minister Office on July 23. By Takaya Yamaguchi and Leika Kihara Japan's deepening political uncertainty risks prolonging policy paralysis that could affect the drafting of next year's budget and the timing of the central bank's next interest rate hike, analysts say, clouding the outlook for the fragile economy. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing increased calls from within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to step down and take responsibility for the party's huge defeat in an upper house election in July and a lower house poll last year. While Ishiba has denied he has any plans to resign, his fading support has triggered inevitable questions about his political future and analysts say a leadership change would likely have implications for the outlook for fiscal and monetary policy. In a meeting on Friday, lawmakers decided to consider holding a rare leadership race even with the party head Ishiba still presiding. Under LDP rules, such a race would take place if the majority of the party's lawmakers and regional heads agreed to hold one. But it is uncertain how long it would take for the party to decide, according to lawmakers and government officials familiar with the procedure told Reuters. That contest could happen in September at the earliest, they say, which would allow the new administration to compile a spending package to cushion the economic blow from U.S. tariffs. But if the race does not take place in September, it may have to wait until early next year to avoid disrupting the government's drafting of next fiscal year's budget, they say. "We would not be surprised if the LDP calls for a leadership election in September," UBS analysts said in a research note. "It seems that uncertainties regarding politics are unlikely to resolve soon." In Japan, the Ministry of Finance collects spending requests from ministries in August and finalises the government's draft budget in late December. The budget must pass parliament in time to take effect from the April start of a new fiscal year. Failure to pass the budget through parliament would force the government to compile a stop-gap budget, which could hurt the economy by causing delays in expenditure. Some ruling party lawmakers say there is no choice but for Ishiba to step down to resolve the deadlock. Having lost control in both houses of parliament, the LDP-led ruling coalition needs opposition party support to pass legislation and budget through parliament. Opposition parties have ruled out forming a coalition unless Ishiba steps down. "Japan needs a stable coalition government. Otherwise, it's impossible to pursue consistent policies," LDP heavyweight Ken Saito told Reuters last week. "It's best for the LDP to seek a coalition partner under a new leader." COMPLICATION FOR BOJ Ishiba's weak political standing and prolonged political uncertainty also complicate the Bank of Japan's decision on how soon to resume interest rate hikes. While few analysts expect the BOJ to hike rates at its next policy meeting in September, some see a good chance of action in October, December or January next year when more data becomes available on the impact of U.S. tariffs on the economy. Known as a fiscal hawk, Ishiba has endorsed the central bank's efforts to gradually wean the economy off a decade-long, massive stimulus as inflation remains above its 2% target for well over three years. But his bitter election defeat has made his administration vulnerable to calls for big spending and loose monetary policy. Many opposition parties have urged the BOJ to hold off, or go slow, in raising rates and focus on supporting the economy. If the LDP were to hold a leadership race, the event could put the spotlight on the views of candidates like Sanae Takaichi, a reflationist-minded lawmaker who in the past blasted the idea of interest rate hikes as "stupid." All this could discourage the BOJ from raising rates in coming months to avoid drawing unwanted political attention. "All we can say is that we would continue to take appropriate policies to sustainably and stably achieve our 2% inflation target," Governor Kazuo Ueda told a news briefing earlier this month, when asked how the BOJ would respond if political changes lead to fresh demands on monetary policy. "It's impossible to predict how politics will unfold, which means for the BOJ it's best to take a wait-and-see stance," said a source familiar with the bank's thinking. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: Japan at nuclear crossroads 80 yrs after A-bombings as survivors age
NAGASAKI - Eighty years after the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan faces with growing urgency the question of how to carry forward the moral voice for ridding the world of nuclear weapons as generational memory fades and nuclear risks rise amid the advancement of technology. Atomic bomb survivors, who have helped shape the nuclear taboo over the past decades, are now on average over the age of 86, meaning that the generation of those who witnessed firsthand the horrific effects of nuclear weapons is nearing its end, leaving a void increasingly difficult to fill. Positioned close to an assertive China and North Korea that is honing its nuclear capabilities, the Japanese government is unlikely to give up its reliance on the U.S. nuclear deterrent anytime soon, despite viewing its mission as advocating for a world without nuclear weapons. Following this week's 80th atomic bomb commemorative events, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a press conference Saturday that the government is committed to defending the country and its people, while at the same time working to eliminate nuclear weapons. "So how do we balance these two issues? I firmly believe that we have to fulfill both responsibilities," he said. Heigo Sato, a professor with expertise on security issues at Takushoku University in Tokyo, said Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks in war, should continue to play a key role in leading global efforts toward nuclear disarmament through what he calls a "multiple-pronged approach," given the challenges seen in international treaties regarding nuclear weapons. While the U.N. nuclear ban treaty lacks the support of nuclear weapon states, a broader arms control regime based on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is increasingly under strain. In June, the United States carried out air strikes on Iran to degrade its nuclear programs, leading Tehran to issue threats to withdraw from the NPT. "We should neither be too dominated by talks on nuclear deterrence, nor be obsessed with the nuclear ban treaty," Sato said, suggesting that other approaches could include reinforcing a system to prevent nuclear proliferation or "fostering an international social movement that rejects nuclear weapons." As nuclear weapon states continue to modernize and expand their arsenals amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflicts in the Midde East and other geopolitical tensions, the landscape could be further complicated as artificial intelligence is eventually incorporated into nuclear command and control systems. Melissa Parke of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, warned of a "perilous" nuclear age in which AI, rather than human judgment, drives decision-making. She argues that this technological detachment makes it all the more urgent that policymakers heed the messages of those who have experienced the consequences of nuclear weapons firsthand. "We need global leaders to be listening to the hibakusha (survivors) about the reality of what nuclear weapons actually do to people. They talk in very abstract terms about nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence," said Parke. "But the reality is actually what the hibakusha are talking about." The testimonies of the survivors to convey the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons can only increase its significance as time passes, with both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki city governments training future generations to become "storytellers" to carry forward the account. But Sato is doubtful about the effectiveness of such efforts, saying that future storytellers are "no different from a game of telephone" as they are essentially recounting someone else's story. "As with any game of telephone, the further along the chain you go, the more the message gets distorted or loses impact," he said. Mitsuhiro Hayashida, whose grandfather survived the atomic blast in Nagasaki, said a broader understanding of history, including Japan's aggression in the lead-up to and during World War II, will help encourage the youth to link the stories with present day action to realize peace. In contrast to Germany, where children study the history of World War II in the hope of preventing future atrocities, the discourse in Japan tends to focus on victimhood, he said. "We need to explain the atomic bombings not just as isolated events, but in connection with the broader history of the war -- why that war happened, and what kind of reflection followed in postwar Japan," said the 33-year-old, who founded Peace Education Lab Nagasaki in 2023 to provide such training. While the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize last year to Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, has helped to reinvigorate citizens' movements and individual activists, a significant impact on a government policy level has yet to be seen. Terumi Tanaka, 93, who has long played a key role in Nihon Hidankyo, said that the government, as a democracy, reflects the will of the people. "If we have a government that supports policies like nuclear deterrence, ultimately, it's the responsibility of the citizens," Tanaka, a co-chair of the group, said at an event in Nagasaki on Friday. For Tanaka, who was exposed to the bombing in the city at age 13, seeing his efforts culminate in the signing and ratification of the nuclear ban treaty by Japan and meaningful steps toward eliminating nuclear weapons is one of his greatest wishes in life. "If we can begin to see a path to abolition, I think I can finally say farewell with peace in my heart," he said.
