Nagasaki marks 81 years since atomic bombing as mayor denounces nuclear deterrence push
The Japanese city of Nagasaki on Saturday marked 81 years since it was struck by the second atomic bomb used in warfare, as its mayor used the anniversary ceremony to denounce what he described as a growing international embrace of nuclear deterrence.
According to Africanews, Mayor Shiro Suzuki addressed mourners at the city’s Peace Park, near the hypocentre of the August 9, 1945 attack, and criticised rising support for nuclear deterrence across the global community, including within Japan itself. The ceremony drew survivors, known in Japan as hibakusha, alongside officials and members of the public who observed a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., the precise moment the bomb detonated.
The bomb, dropped by a United States aircraft and nicknamed “Fat Man,” killed tens of thousands of people instantly, with many more dying in the months and years that followed from injuries and radiation-related illnesses. The strike came three days after the United States bombed Hiroshima and is widely regarded as having helped precipitate Japan’s surrender in the Second World War.
Japan has long adhered to the so-called three non-nuclear principles of not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons on its territory. But Suzuki’s remarks reflect a domestic debate that has grown louder in recent years, as successive Japanese governments have stressed the importance of the US nuclear umbrella while declining to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
As Africanews reported, the mayor urged leaders to move away from reliance on nuclear weapons and to engage seriously in disarmament efforts. The annual commemoration, held since 1947, has taken on renewed significance as the ranks of surviving hibakusha continue to thin, with speakers repeatedly stressing the importance of passing their testimony to younger generations.
Sources
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