Hiroshima remembers atomic bombing on 73rd anniversary
TOKYO — Hiroshima marked the anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city with a sombre ceremony Monday to remember those killed and injured, and a call to eliminate nuclear weapons amid hopes of denuclearizing North Korea.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui opened his speech by describing the hellish scene of the blast that morning 73 years ago and the agony of the victims, telling the audience to listen “as if you and your loved ones were there.” He then raised concerns about the global rise of egocentrism and tensions, and urged Japan’s government to show more leadership toward achieving a nuclear-free world.
“Certain countries are blatantly proclaiming self-centred nationalism and modernizing their nuclear arsenals, rekindling tensions that had eased with the end of the Cold War,” Matsui said, without identifying the nations.
Nuclear deterrence and nuclear umbrellas are “inherently unstable and extremely dangerous” approaches that seek to maintain international order by generating fear in rival countries, he said, urging leaders to negotiate in good faith.
The U.S. attack on Hiroshima killed 140,000 people, and the bombing of Nagasaki killed more than 70,000 three days later, leading to Japan’s surrender and ending the Second World War.
Matsui said in his speech that Japan’s government should do more to achieve a nuclear-free world by helping the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons — which was passed at the United Nations in July 2017 — take effect. Japan, which hosts U.S. troops and is covered by the U.S. nuclear umbrella protecting it from attack, has not signed the treaty.
Japan should live up to the spirit of its pacifist constitution to lead the international community “toward dialogue and co-operation for a world without nuclear weapons,” Matsui said.
About 50,000 people, including residents and representatives from 58 countries, attended the event. The 8:15 a.m. blast was marked with a minute of silence.
The anniversary comes amid hopes to denuclearize North Korea after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made vague statements of denuclearizing the peninsula when they met in Singapore in June.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said differences between the nuclear and non-nuclear states are widening. But he pledged to do more to bridge the gap.