Hiroshima urges youth to work to end nukes on 80th A-bomb anniversary
"Despite the current turmoil at the nation-state level, we, the people, must never give up," Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said in the Peace Declaration read during the annual memorial ceremony, which took place after Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
"Our youth, the leaders of future generations, must recognize that misguided policies regarding military spending, national security, and nuclear weapons could bring utterly inhumane consequences," he said. "We urge them to step forward with this understanding and lead civil society toward consensus."
A moment of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the exact time when the uranium bomb was dropped by the U.S. bomber Enola Gay and detonated over the city on Aug. 6, 1945, in the final stage of World War II, killing an estimated 140,000 people by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said it is Japan's mission as the only country to have experienced the horror of nuclear devastation in war to advance global efforts to realize a world free of nuclear weapons, especially amid increasing divisions over disarmament.
With the 80-year milestone, a record 120 nations and regions attended the ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park, located near the hypocenter, according to the city of Hiroshima.
Following a controversy last year over whether to invite countries involved in armed conflicts to Japan's atomic bomb commemorations, which are aimed at promoting peace, Hiroshima has shifted from sending invitations to simply notifying all countries and regions of its event.
The ceremony followed the awarding of last year's Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, for its decades-long campaign against nuclear weapons using the testimony of survivors.
But opportunities to hear directly from those who witnessed the atomic bombings are declining, with the combined number of officially recognized survivors of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki falling below 100,000 for the first time. Their average age exceeded 86.
The momentum toward nuclear disarmament has diminished in recent years with growing global instability amid the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and President Donald Trump's pursuit of an "America First" foreign policy and transactional approach to diplomacy.
In a dangerous escalation of Middle East tensions, the United States in June struck three sites in Iran with the stated aim of destroying its nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Matsui said policymakers in some countries believe "nuclear weapons are essential for national defense" and that the developments "flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history."
Criticizing security policies focused on "narrow self-interest" that foment international conflicts, he urged all world leaders to visit Hiroshima to witness the consequences of atomic bombs and called for nations strengthening their military forces to engage in dialogue aimed at abandoning reliance on nuclear weapons.
Matsui also reiterated the city's call for Japan to sign the U.N. treaty outlawing nuclear weapons, saying doing so would comply with the wishes of the atomic bomb survivors, including Nihon Hidankyo.
While advocating for a world without nuclear weapons, Japan has not joined the nuclear ban treaty as a complete prohibition would conflict with its policy of relying on U.S. nuclear deterrence.
Ishiba said in his speech that the Japanese government will explore specific steps both nuclear and non-nuclear states can work together on, without touching on the treaty, which none of the nuclear powers are part of.
Warning that the risk of nuclear conflict is growing, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres lamented in a statement that "the very weapons that brought such devastation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki are once again being treated as tools of coercion."
But he noted that Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Prize win was a sign of hope, saying in the statement read out by U.N. disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu that "countries must draw strength from the resilience of Hiroshima and from the wisdom" of the survivors.
The United States and Russia together possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons, while China's arsenal has grown faster than any other country's with around 100 warheads added each year since 2023, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its latest annual report.
Three days after the first atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy," decimated Hiroshima in western Japan, a second one, dubbed "Fat Man," was dropped on Nagasaki in the southwest. Japan surrendered to the Allied forces six days later, marking the end of World War II.
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Even those who somehow escaped death despite this horrific scene suffered long-term health problems. Now, 80 years later, as the division within the international community widens over approaches to nuclear disarmament, we find ourselves facing an extremely harsh security environment. But even in the most severe circumstances, the mission for Japan, as the only country to have experienced the horror of nuclear devastation in war, is to lead the efforts of the international community to bring about "a world without nuclear war" and "a world without nuclear weapons" while firmly upholding the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Taking one step forward and then another, we will steadily build up efforts over time to realize just such a world. The foundation on which this is based is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the mainstay of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. 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The awarding of the prestigious honor of the Nobel Peace Prize last year to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, was truly momentous, and I express my wholehearted respect to Nihon Hidankyo for its work over so many years in promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons and advancing understanding of the tragic realities of the atomic bombings. Since taking office as prime minister, I have visited Ioto, a place of staggering loss of life during the war, the Himeyuri Peace Memorial Museum in Okinawa, and Hiroshima, where an atomic bombing took place, and today I have come here to Nagasaki. We must pass down as memories 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. I stand determined to step up our efforts to advance accurate understanding of the terrible realities of the atomic bombings across generations and beyond national borders. The Government will continue to advance comprehensive relief measures covering health and medical services and welfare of atomic bomb survivors, who are advancing in years. We will work to conduct screenings for recognizing atomic bomb diseases as quickly as we can so that we can convey the results as soon as possible. In December we began providing to people who experienced the atomic bombings medical expense assistance equivalent to that provided to atomic bomb survivors for a wide range of common diseases. We will continue to implement these measures steadily. Just now, ending an interlude spanning 80 years, two Angelus bells, pealing in unison, rang out with the same tonal resonance they did in the past, together with the Bell of Nagasaki here in Peace Park. "It is my earnest prayer that Urakami may be the world's final atomic plain." These words referencing the devastated Urakami district of the city were left to us by the late Dr. Nagai Takashi, who survived the atomic bombing while working at Nagasaki Medical College. The devastation that occurred in Nagasaki and Hiroshima must never be repeated. The right hand of the Peace Statue points skyward, denoting atomic weaponry, while its left hand reaches out horizontally, in a prayer for peace. Standing before this Peace Statue, whose gently closed eyes are imbued with mourning for the victims, I pledge once again that Japan will continue to make its utmost efforts for the realization of a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons, as well as for the realization of eternal peace. I will end my address with my heartfelt prayers that the souls of those who fell victim to the atomic bombing rest in peace. I also pray sincerely for the inner peace of the bereaved families and the atomic bomb survivors as well as all the participants today and the people of Nagasaki City.
