Japanese leaders renewed calls for a world without nuclear weapons as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed his country’s commitment to global nuclear disarmament and said Japan is the only nation to suffer atomic bombings during war, broadcaster NHK reported.
"When I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I renewed my resolve that these unbearable ordeals and memories should not be allowed to fade away and must be handed down through future generations," he told the participants of a ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City on Wednesday.
"Eighty years have passed since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, turning this city into a scorched wasteland in an instant, and I respectfully offered my sincere condolences to the spirits of those who lost their lives," he said later on X.
In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israeli war on Gaza.
"These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said.
The ceremony began at 8.15 am local time (2315GMT Tuesday), the exact moment the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Survivor numbers dwindling
The blast destroyed the city and killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of that year. Thousands more suffered from radiation-related illnesses in the decades that followed.
Three days after "Little Boy", on August 9, another atomic bomb killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing an end to World War II. Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million but the attacks live on in the memories of many.
On the eve of the ceremony, around 55,000 began lining up to pay their respects to the victims in front of the cenotaph.
Matsui Kazumi placed an updated list of victims in the park’s cenotaph. There are now 349,246 names.
Before dawn, families who lost loved ones in the attack also came to pray. Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who arrived in a wheelchair with her grandson, told reporters that her parents and grandparents were bomb victims.
"My grandfather died soon after the bombing, while my father and mother both died after developing cancer. My parents-in-law also died, so my husband couldn't see them again when he came back from the battlefields after the war. "People are still suffering," she added.
Wednesday's ceremony was set to include a record of around 120 countries and regions, including, for the first time, Taiwanese and Palestinian representatives. The United States — which has never formally apologised for the bombings — was represented by its ambassador to Japan. Russia and China were absent.
In his peace declaration, Kazumi urged global leaders to visit Hiroshima and witness firsthand the destruction caused by nuclear weapons. He called for a new international security framework based on dialogue and trust.
With the number of surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki dwindling to fewer than 100,000 with an average age of over 86, officials and activists have stressed the urgency of preserving their stories for future generations.
