Japan's leaders call for nuclear arms abolition on Hiroshima 80th anniversary

by · UPI

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The mayor of Hiroshima called out nuclear-armed nations Wednesday as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of his city.

"Despite the current turmoil at the nation-state level, we, the people, must never give up," Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said during Japan's annual Peace Memorial Ceremony, held at the city's Peace Memorial Park. "Instead, we must work even harder to build civil society consensus that nuclear weapons must be abolished for a genuinely peaceful world."

Approximately 55,000 people attended the event, which included representation from 120 nations and regions.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was also present at the ceremony and spoke out against nuclear weapons.

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"The widening of the division within the international community over approaches to nuclear disarmament has made the current security environment even more challenging," Ishiba said. "But that is exactly why we must make all-out efforts to bring about a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons under the regime of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime."

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an international accord intended to stop the spread and use of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, and for its signees to move toward nuclear disarmament.

The remembrance ceremony of Hiroshima's atomic bombing comes at a heightened time between nuclear world powers. Russia announced Monday it was ending a self-imposed moratorium on the development of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, days after the Trump administration announced it was moving two nuclear submarines to defensive positions.

The United States and Russia currently possess nearly 90% of all nuclear weapons worldwide.

Russia did not have any representation at the Hiroshima observance. U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass, who was present, posted to X that "On this solemn day of reflection, we pay homage to the people of Hiroshima and their enduring message of peace and hope."

It was on Aug. 6, 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. Japan Standard Time.