Latest news with #NagasakiPeaceDeclaration
Yomiuri Shimbun
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nagasaki Marks 80 Years Since Atomic Bombing; Taiwan Attends Ceremony for 1st Time
NAGASAKI — Survivors and the families of the diseased paid tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Saturday, the 80th anniversary. 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.
09-08-2025
- Politics
Nagasaki Mayor Says Nuke Abolition Cannot Be Delayed
Nagasaki, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)--Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, in this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration on Saturday, stressed that postponing nuclear abolition efforts cannot be tolerated. Reading out the declaration at a memorial ceremony on the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the southwestern Japan city, Suzuki urged leaders of all countries to "show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons" at next year's Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference, adding, "Procrastination can no longer be tolerated." The mayor called for an immediate ceasefire in armed conflicts around the world. He warned that an "existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth" due to the danger of nuclear war. The ceremony, held at a park near the epicenter of the Aug. 9, 1945, nuclear attack in the city of Nagasaki, was attended by representatives from 94 countries and regions and the European Union. Taiwan attended the ceremony for the first time. Russia, Belarus and Israel, which were not invited by the city last year, also participated. "We must never allow even a single person among the people of the world and the children to be born in the future to go through the death and suffering caused by nuclear weapons that hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) have suffered," Suzuki said in the declaration. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Asahi Shimbun
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nagasaki seeks to warn of ‘nuclear taboo' in annual message
The drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration meets in the city on May 10. (Yuta Kayaba) NAGASAKI—As the city prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing in three months, a committee planning the annual peace message wants to incorporate the term "nuclear taboo." 'It is essential to send a strong message to all nations, including those currently involved in conflicts,' said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, who chairs the drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration. The committee held its first meeting on May 10. It has 15 members, including survivors of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack on the city, as well as scholars and other experts. During the meeting, members discussed including references to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded last year to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), particularly highlighting the Nobel Committee's emphasis on the moral 'taboo' against nuclear weapons. In addition to condemning the use of nuclear weapons, several committee members advocated for a taboo against possessing any at all. There was also a proposal to include remarks made by the late Pope Francis during his visit to Nagasaki in 2019, honoring his message of peace and disarmament. The committee also expressed growing concern over the recent tensions between India and Pakistan—both nuclear powers—with one member warning of the potential for uncontrollable escalation. The panel will meet twice more in the coming months before finalizing the statement. Suzuki announced at a news conference on May 8 that Nagasaki plans to invite officials from Russia and Israel to the upcoming peace ceremony. Russia has not been invited since 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, while Israel was excluded from the 2024 guest list amid the conflict in Gaza.
