Nagasaki marked 80 years since the U.S. atomic bombing of the city on a rainy Saturday, amid frustration among the dwindling number of survivors that their powerful calls for eradicating nuclear weapons are falling on deaf ears.
At 11:02 a.m., the city observed a moment of silence marking the exact time the bomb exploded on Aug. 9, 1945, leaving an estimated 74,000 people dead in the ensuing chaos. It was the second and final nuclear weapon to be used in conflict, after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 that year, killing some 140,000.
Japan surrendered days later, on Aug. 15, 1945, ushering in the end of World War II.
“In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site, it is essential to show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons. Procrastination can no longer be tolerated,” Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in an annual Peace Declaration before survivors, family members and foreign and Japanese dignitaries.
Suzuki also urged the Japanese government to firmly uphold the country’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles of not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons “and the ethos of peace embodied in the Constitution” by signing and ratifying the United Nations' Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) “at the earliest possible juncture.”
“To this end, exercise your leadership and change course towards a security policy that does not rely on nuclear deterrence, through establishing the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, or other means,” he said.
“There is not a great deal of time left for the hibakusha, whose average age is now over 86.”
During the event, an updated list of the atomic bomb victims was placed at the memorial site. The list included the names of survivors who died or were confirmed dead over the past 12 months — a roll that now includes 201,942 names.
According to the Japanese government, the number of hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bombing, fell below 100,000 for the first time. As of March, there were 99,130 survivors nationwide, with an average age of 86.13 — making it increasingly difficult to hear their firsthand stories.
Speaking during the same ceremony in Nagasaki, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed that, despite a world that “remains deeply divided over nuclear disarmament,” it is Japan’s “mission” to take the lead in international efforts toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.
“We will continue to make steady progress toward this goal, step by step,” he said, pointing to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as the “foundation” of these efforts.
Ishiba did not mention the TPNW, which Japan — reliant on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for its defense — has ruled out signing.
Adopted by the U.N. in 2017, the TPNW bans the development, testing, production, acquisition, possession, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, as well as the threat to use them. It has been ratified by dozens of countries, though none of the declared nuclear powers have signed on.
Instead, Ishiba said his government “will continue to promote realistic and practical initiatives” and work to better convey a picture of the atomic bombings’ aftermath.
“We must never allow the reality of war, its horrors and the severity of the atomic bomb's devastation to fade from memory,” he added.
Representatives from 95 countries and regions participated in this year's commemorations, including Russia, which had not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Israel, whose ambassador was not invited last year over the war in Gaza, also attended the ceremonies.
Following the 2023 Hiroshima Group of Seven summit — which saw leaders of the leading economic powers visit the atomic bombing memorial there — and last year’s awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to atomic bomb survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo, interest in the issue has surged, with crowds of visitors, both foreign and Japanese, going to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki peace museums.
But, despite calls by countries — including Japan — to create a world without nuclear weapons, proliferation fears have surged.
The U.S. and Russia have seen long-standing pacts intended to constrain their nuclear arsenals falter, China has embarked on a push to bolster its nuclear weapons program and North Korea has built up a “treasured sword” — Pyongyang’s parlance for its nuclear and missile arsenals.
A total of nine countries currently field nuclear arsenals, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, North Korea, Israel, India and Pakistan, according to the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
While the number of confirmed nuclear warheads worldwide has significantly declined from approximately 70,000 during the Cold War to around 12,240 today, arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade, given a deteriorating global security environment.
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