World Remembers Hiroshima; Leaders Urge Nuclear Peace

On Thursday, the world marked the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, a day that has become a focal point for calls to end the nuclear arms race. Delegates from several nations gathered at the Peace Memorial Park, where Mayor Kazumi Matsui delivered a powerful Peace Declaration.

He warned that minimizing the horror of nuclear weapons or using force for strategic gain fuels a cycle of violence that could plunge humanity back into the devastation experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The mayor emphasized that as the surviving hibakusha age, the moral imperative falls to younger citizens to rally public opinion for complete nuclear disarmament. He appealed for a unified global effort to strengthen treaties, enhance verification mechanisms, and reduce the role of nuclear weapons in security policies.

The memorial event was underscored by a solemn two‑minute silence, recalling the exact instant on August 6, 1945, when the bomb detonated over the city, ultimately killing around 140,000 people by the end of the year.