On August 6th, 1945, during World War II, America dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Three days later a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, making Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announce the country’s unconditional surrender. Combined, the bombs killed over 100 thousand people both instantly and from the effects of the bomb over the following months.
Now, Hiroshima has marked the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing with its mayor Kazumi Matsui renewing calls for the elimination of such devastating weapons. Matsui put pressure on the Japanese government to join a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons in his peace speech at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
“Around the world today, we see self-centred nationalism in ascendance, tensions heightened by international exclusivity and rivalry, with nuclear disarmament at a standstill,” he said.
You can read Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui’s full peace declaration speech from the ceremony by CLICKING HERE.
Matsui reminded everyone of the devastation that befell Japan in 1945, and urged the younger generations to never dismiss the events as just history.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also gave a speech at the memorial but did not mention the treaty. Japan has refused to participate in the treaty for a while claiming that Japan will become a “mediator between nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states”.
A moment of silence was held at 8:15 a.m., the same time that ‘Little Boy’ was dropped 74 years ago killing an estimated 140 thousand people.
Multiple countries had representatives at the ceremony, which came hours after North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile in its recently increasing round of weapons demonstrations. This action also comes after a stalemate in negotiations over its nuclear weaponry.
We remember the tragedy that befell Japan on this day and look to change the future, so that something so devastating cannot happen again.
Our thoughts are with Japan on this day.
