Nagasaki Marks 80th Anniversary with Calls for Ceasefire and Remembrance

At a memorial ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Mayor Shiro Suzuki appealed for an immediate ceasefire in all global military conflicts. The event saw participation from a record number of nations and regions, although a few withdrew their representatives at the last moment.

The ceremony included a moment of silence observed at 11:02 a.m., the exact time the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki in 1945. Notably, Russia and Israel, despite their ongoing conflicts, sent representatives, along with Taiwan, which lacks formal diplomatic relations with Japan. China, however, chose not to participate this year.

In his Peace Declaration, Mayor Suzuki urged an end to conflicts where force is met with force, warning of the potential for nuclear war. He emphasized the urgency of this existential crisis facing humanity. The inclusion of the ceasefire call was reportedly influenced by the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Peace Declaration also acknowledged the Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the previous year. The late Senji Yamaguchi, a key member of the organization, delivered a powerful message at the U.N. General Assembly in 1982, advocating for an end to war and the suffering of hibakusha.

Hiroshi Nishioka, a 91-year-old survivor, spoke on behalf of the hibakusha, recounting his experience at junior high school when the bomb exploded. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba quoted Takashi Nagai, a physician who aided survivors in Nagasaki, expressing the hope that Urakami would be the last place on Earth to experience an atomic bomb. Ishiba reiterated the commitment to prevent a recurrence of the suffering experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.