The peace declaration read aloud by Mayor Tomihisa Taue of Nagasaki on Tuesday, the 66th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city, is a strong call for abolition of nuclear weapons as well ending reliance on nuclear power. Japanese as well as foreign leaders should carefully read his declaration and seriously consider the threats and dangers brought about by human efforts to make use of nuclear fission, whether it is for military or commercial purposes.
Mayor Taue's declaration directly goes to the issue currently gripping Japan — the accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plants, which were damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Mayor Taue starts his declaration by saying, "This March we were astounded by the severity of accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station."