HIROSHIMA - Hiroshima marked the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing on August 6 with a peace memorial ceremony at Peace Memorial Park, where Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of the growing danger that nuclear weapons could be used and called for renewed action toward their abolition.
At 8:15 a.m., the exact time the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, participants observed one minute of silence as the Peace Bell rang across the park.
In his annual Peace Declaration, Matsui expressed alarm over an international climate in which nuclear weapons could be used and urged countries and individuals to take action to eliminate them.
"Military invasions in which nuclear weapons are used as tools of intimidation and the high-handed conduct of major powers that disregard international law are being repeated," Matsui said. "We must once again learn from the lessons of the past, when the United Nations was established and the world resolved to abolish nuclear weapons."
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also attended the ceremony and delivered remarks.
"As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war, Japan has a mission to continue its tireless efforts toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons," Takaichi said.
During the ceremony, a register containing the names of 4,393 atomic bomb victims whose deaths were confirmed over the past year was placed inside the cenotaph.
A participant whose mother survived the bombing called for Hiroshima's message to be carried to the international community.
"I want them to use opportunities like this to communicate the call for nuclear abolition to the world," the participant said. "There are not many chances to send that message globally."
Source: テレ東BIZ
