Nagasaki on Thursday commemorated the first anniversary in the 21st century of its 1945 atomic bombing, vowing to take the lead in eliminating nuclear weapons by strengthening links with nongovernmental organizations and municipalities around the world.
Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito called on the central government to play an active role in the elimination of nuclear weapons and convene an international assembly to enact a treaty abolishing such weapons in a peace declaration he delivered during the city's annual peace ceremony.
The request was an apparent allusion to moves by the United States to ditch the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and develop missile defense systems.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi -- whose ministry deals with policies for rehabilitation of atomic-bomb survivors -- were among some 4,800 attending the 53-minute ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park.