Hiroshima, Japan (AP) – Hiroshima On Wednesday, there was a lot of aging to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bomb in a western Japanese city Survivors Expressing frustration at increased support among global leaders for the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence.
With the rapid decline in the number of survivors and the average age exceeding 86, anniversary is considered to be the last milestone event for many.
“We don’t have much time while facing a bigger nuclear threat than ever.” Nihon Hidankyo, Japan’s grassroots organization of survivors who won the Nobel Peace Prize for pursuing nuclear abolition last year said in a statement. “Our biggest challenge right now is to change the state of nuclear weapons that give us a little cold shoulder.”
(The Hiroshima bombing on August 6, 1945 destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. Three days later the second bomb was dropped.Nagasaki He killed another 70,000 people. Japan surrendered on August 15th, ending almost half a century of World War II and Japan’s invasion in Asia.
Representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, remained silent at 8:15am with the sound of a peace bell, and were expected to attend and observe the time when the US B-29 dropped a bomb on the city.
Prime Minister, city mayor, prime minister, prime minister Ishiba Shigeru And other officials laid flowers at the memorial.
Survivors and their families were expected to pay tribute to the victims at Peace Memorial Park around sunrise hours before the official ceremony.
Kazuo, a 74-year-old retired, paid tribute to his grandfather and his two cousins who died in the bombing, praying that the “mistakes” would never be repeated, as the inscription on Cenotav says. He said that the nuclear threat has been escalating so much lately that he “hopefully the situation doesn’t get worse.” “Nuclear weapons are not needed.”
Wednesday’s anniversary is a time when the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan.
president Donald Trump The statement justifying Washington’s attack on Iran has disappointed survivors, comparing it to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the mild reaction from the Japanese government.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation in his mother’s uterine. “I don’t think we can remove nuclear weapons as long as they are justified by the perpetrator.”
The Japanese government has rejected a request for a desperate signature from survivors Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Or attend a meeting as an observer because it is under the protection of the US nuclear umbrella.
Past prime ministers emphasize Japan’s status as the only country in the world suffering from nuclear attacks, saying that Japan is determined to pursue peace, but survivors say it is a false promise.
Despite survivors seeking relief for civilian victims, the Japanese government is paying only compensation to war veterans and their families. They also seek approval from the US government for responsibility for civilian death.
