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Japan Forward
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Nagasaki Marks 80 Years Since Atomic Bombing Amid Calls for Nuclear Abolition
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial Peace Prayer Ceremony was held on August 9, marking the 80th anniversary of the United States' bombing of the city. It took place at Peace Park in Matsuyama Ward, Nagasaki City, the site of the bomb's hypocenter. Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivered a statement expressing concern over the growing risk of nuclear war. He urged world leaders to set out concrete steps toward abolition. Quoting the late Senji Yamaguchi, former chairman of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, the mayor called on civil society to build trust and solidarity through dialogue and exchange. At the time of the bombing, Nagasaki's population was about 240,000. By the end of December 1945, 73,884 people had died from the bombing, and another 74,909 were injured. The intense heat, blast waves, and radiation caused severe illnesses known as radiation sickness, which have tormented many survivors. Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivers the Peace Declaration during the ceremony. In 2025, for the first time, the number of atomic bomb survivors nationwide fell below 100,000. The average age of survivors is now 86.13 years. Under these circumstances, questions are emerging over how best to preserve their memories and broaden relief efforts. In 2024, the city excluded Israel from the ceremony, an action it said was in protest of military actions against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. As a consequence, foreign ambassadors from all G7 nations except Japan were absent. Bystanders observe a moment of silence at 11:02 AM on August 9, commemorating the exact time the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. All countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan were invited this year (2025). Russia received its first invitation in four years, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As of August 6, 95 countries and regions, along with the European Union (EU), were expected to attend. In 2024, a record 100 countries and regions participated. Author: The Sankei Shimbun ( Read this in Japanese )
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Full text of Nagasaki Peace Declaration on 80th anniversary of atomic bombing
The following is a translation of the Peace Declaration read on Aug. 9, 2025, by Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, as provided by the Nagasaki Municipal Government, with minor changes for style. * * * * * On Aug. 9, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on this city. Now, 80 years since that day, who could have possibly imagined that our world would become like this? Immediately cease from disputes in which "force is met with force." Conflicts around the world are intensifying in a vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation. If we continue on this trajectory, we will end up thrusting ourselves into a nuclear war. This existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth. Speaking as the first "hibakusha" (atomic bomb survivors) to address the United Nations General Assembly in 1982, the late Senji Yamaguchi described the horrific scene of the bombing as follows: "I saw people all around me with extruding eyeballs, men and women showered with penetrating splinters of glass and wood, and a weeping young mother frantically holding on to her half-decapitated baby. To my left and to my right dead bodies lay fallen to the ground like stones." At the end of his address, Mr. Yamaguchi showed a photograph of his injuries and appealed forcefully to the world: "Take a close look at my face and arms. 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 the hibakusha have suffered." "No more Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis. No more war. No more hibakusha." This cry from deep within his heart is the crystallization of the hibakusha's feelings. The unshakeable conviction of the hibakusha, who have moved the world with the power of their testimony as well as their actions, has drawn praise, and last year Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Nihon Hidankyo was established in 1956, while the hibakusha struggled and suffered with deep mental and physical scars, as well as prejudice and poverty. Nihon Hidankyo was launched in Nagasaki, with a proclamation declaring their "will to save humanity from its crisis through the lessons learned from our experiences, while at the same time saving ourselves." "Humanity can rid itself of nuclear weapons." With this strong hope, the hibakusha continued to raise their voices, inspiring the empathy of a great number of citizens and eventually leading to the idea of the "global citizen" to become deeply rooted in Nagasaki. This phrase expresses the desire to build a peaceful future together, beyond the barriers of race or national borders as citizens of one big "city" called "Earth." Is it not this "global citizen" perspective that will serve as the driving force behind stitching back together our fragmented world? To the people of the world, all of whom are global citizens. Though the power of one person alone may be weak, if we join together it will lead to a great force to open a path to the future. The hibakusha have shown this through their actions. The first step is to know the other person. We must repeatedly conduct dialogue and exchanges, understand each other, and little by little build up trust. This is our major role as civil society. Through what could be described as the universal languages of sports and the arts, as well as through the use of modern communication tools, the opportunities for us to interact on a global scale are ever widening. The General Conference of Mayors for Peace, the meeting of an organization composed of about 8,500 cities across the world, is currently taking place here in Nagasaki. The municipalities, who are the form of government closest to their citizens, are also deepening their bonds and expanding their circle of collaboration. As global citizens, let us build up empathy and trust, and turn it into the power to create peace. To the leaders of all the world's nations, who are also all global citizens. This milestone year is also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, which was established under the resolution to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." Now I ask you to go back to the keystone values of the Charter of the United Nations, and restore multilateralism and the rule of law. Next year's Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will represent a crucial moment capable of swaying the fate of humanity. In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site, it is essential to show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons. Procrastination can no longer be tolerated. I hereby appeal to the government of Japan, the only nation to have suffered wartime atomic bombings. Firmly uphold the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and the ethos of peace embodied in the Constitution by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the earliest possible juncture. To this end, exercise your leadership and change course towards a security policy that does not rely on nuclear deterrence, through establishing the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, or other means. There is not a great deal of time left for the hibakusha, whose average age is now over 86. I strongly request the further enhancement of aid given to the hibakusha, and that relief measures are adopted as soon as possible for those who were exposed to the atomic bombings but have not yet been officially recognized as hibakusha. I would like to express my deepest condolences for the lives claimed by the atomic bombings, and to all of the victims of war. In marking 80 years from the atomic bombing, Nagasaki has resolved to continue our duty to relay, both inside Japan and overseas, the memories of the bombing, which are a common heritage to all humanity and should be passed down for generations throughout the world. I hereby declare that in order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site now and forever, we will go hand-in-hand with global citizens and devote our utmost efforts towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace. Shiro Suzuki, Mayor of Nagasaki
Japan Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Nagasaki mayor to urge world leaders to abolish nuclear weapons
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said Friday that he will call on world leaders to chart a concrete path toward abolishing nuclear weapons, in a speech to be delivered at an annual peace ceremony next week. He will make the speech on Aug. 9 at the ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city. Suzuki will urge countries to stop wars immediately and express concern about nuclear war, according to an outline of his speech. He will also share messages from hibakusha atomic bomb survivors and of the cruelty of nuclear weapons by referring to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which won last year's Nobel Peace Prize, and a speech by the late former Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Senji Yamaguchi. "Amid the growing threat of nuclear war, we will call on people to act as global citizens, who transcend races and borders, and make peace," Suzuki said at a news conference. He also expressed determination to pass on the messages of hibakusha to future generations.
