Japan holds silent prayer for Hiroshima victims as survivors and leaders warn of rising nuclear threats 80 years later
Japan holds silent prayer for Hiroshima victims as survivors and leaders warn of rising nuclear threats 80 years later
Japan observed a solemn moment of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a pivotal and devastating event in world history that claimed over 200,000 lives and changed the course of warfare forever.
At 8:15 a.m., the precise time the US dropped the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, bells rang out across the city as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, foreign dignitaries, survivors, and citizens gathered at the Peace Memorial Park to honour the victims.
The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, used the occasion to issue a stark warning about the world’s current trajectory, calling attention to an “accelerating trend toward military build-up” and a growing belief that nuclear weapons are essential for national defence.
“This is a flagrant disregard of the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history,” Matsui said in his address.
The ceremony comes at a time of heightened global tensions, with nuclear rhetoric and weapons development once again at the forefront of international politics, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to rising military postures in East Asia.
Shingo Naito, who was just six years old when the bomb detonated over Hiroshima, recalled the horrors he witnessed that day.“My father was badly burned and blinded by the blast. His skin was hanging from his body he couldn’t even hold my hand,” Naito said.
Now 86, he continues to share his story with younger generations, working with Hiroshima students who are transforming his memories into works of art to keep the message of peace alive.
Satoshi Tanaka, another survivor who has battled multiple cancers caused by radiation exposure, said recent images of war in Gaza and Ukraine have reopened old wounds.“Seeing the destroyed cities, the children and women fleeing in panic it brings back memories of what I went through,” he said.
“We are living alongside nuclear weapons that could wipe out humanity multiple times over.”Tanaka urged global citizens to act, “The most urgent priority is to push the leaders of nuclear-armed countries. People must become more outraged, raise their voices louder, and take massive action.”
In his remarks, Mayor Matsui also warned that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) long seen as a cornerstone of nuclear restraint was “on the brink of dysfunctionality.” He called on Tokyo to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a global agreement that seeks a complete ban on nuclear arms.
The treaty, which came into force in 2021, has been ratified by more than 70 countries. However, all current nuclear powers including the United States, Russia, China, the UK, and France have refused to sign, arguing that nuclear deterrence remains vital to their national security.
Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, has also declined to ratify the treaty, citing its reliance on the US nuclear umbrella for protection. The issue remains divisive domestically, with citizens torn between memories of Hiroshima and fears over modern threats.
Ahead of the ceremony, small but vocal protests were seen near the park, where demonstrators demanded the abolition of nuclear weapons and a shift in government policy.
Last year, Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organisation of atomic bomb survivors, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its decades-long campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons and preserve the memories of those affected.As the Hiroshima anniversary is commemorated, the call for disarmament grows more urgent.
“We know what we are fighting for,” said survivor Naito, “but it becomes more difficult every year because everyone is getting exhausted. That’s the reality.”
The Hiroshima bombing followed days later by a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. But eight decades on, the dangers posed by nuclear weapons continue to haunt the world.
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