Survivors mark 75th anniversary of world’s first nuke attack

HIROSHIMA, Japan — The dwindling witnesses to the world’s first atomic bombing marked its 75th anniversary Thursday, with the mayor and others noting the Japanese government’s refusal to sign a nuclear weapons ban treaty, highlighting its hypocrisy.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged world leaders to more seriously commit to nuclear disarmament, pointing out Japan’s failures. “As the only nation to suffer a nuclear attack, Japan must persuade the global public to unite with the spirit of Hiroshima,’’ he said.

The U.S. dropped its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. The U.S. dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug. 15, ending World War II.