The city of Hiroshima on Wednesday commemorated 80 years since the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb during wartime, as concerns grow globally over the renewed threat of nuclear conflict.
At a solemn ceremony held in the city, Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on younger generations to carry forward the message of peace and the movement against nuclear weapons.
He warned that misguided policies on military spending and national security could once again lead to catastrophic, inhumane consequences.
A minute of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., marking the exact moment on August 6, 1945, when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay released the atomic bomb, codenamed “Little Boy,” over Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly.
Just three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
By the end of 1945, an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima had died as a result of the bombing.
Highlighting ongoing efforts for disarmament, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded last year to Nihon Hidankyō, a Japanese organization representing survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, for its advocacy for a nuclear-free world.
In a statement marking the anniversary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over the growing risk of nuclear conflict, warning that the very weapons that once devastated Japan are now being wielded again as instruments of political pressure.
