On the 78th anniversary of the US’ atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Wednesday, the city’s mayor urged world powers to abolish nuclear weapons, saying that nuclear deterrence also increases the possibility of nuclear war.
For the first time since 1963, the ceremony was held indoors rather than at its usual venue, the Nagasaki Peace Park. Attendees observed a moment of silence at 11:02 am, the moment the atomic bomb was detonated on 9 August 1945.
Nagasaki Mayor’s Comments
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said that “as long as states are dependent on nuclear deterrence, we cannot realise a world without nuclear weapons,” adding that “eliminating nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth is the only way to truly protect our safety.”
“I hereby appeal to the leaders of nuclear states and countries under the nuclear umbrella: Now is the time to show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence,” he said.
“Any use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.”
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) August 9, 2023
On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres urges countries to recommit to a world free of nuclear weapons. #Hiroshima #Nagasaki pic.twitter.com/dcRckVaDOm
The leader also called on Tokyo to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and attend, as an observer, the conference of parties to the treaty scheduled for later this year.
“We have to go back to the very beginning, to look again at, ‘What happened to human beings under that mushroom cloud 78 years ago?’ and address the fundamental question of, ‘What would happen to the Earth and to humankind if a nuclear war were to begin right now?’” Suzuki said.
PM Fumio Kishida, who represents the city of Hiroshima in parliament, did not attend the event in person but sent a video message to the ceremony. In his message, the PM said, “While maintaining our three principles regarding nuclear weapons, we, as the only nation to have had an atomic bomb dropped on it in war, will continue our efforts to realize a world without nuclear weapons.”
The US dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, which killed 140,000 people and destroyed the city.
Three days later, it launched its second nuclear attack on Nagasaki, which killed 70,000 more people. Subsequently, on 15 August, Japan finally surrendered, bringing an end to World War II.