Hiroshima on Friday marked the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing by the United States, with its mayor urging world leaders to shift away from nuclear deterrence to trust-building dialogue.
In the annual ceremony, which was scaled down once again this year amid surging coronavirus infections across Japan, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on world leaders to support a U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons that came into effect this January.
After a moment of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the exact time of the bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, the mayor also highlighted the significance of combining individual efforts, particularly among youth, to encourage nuclear-armed states to change their policies.