Hiroshima Mayor Calls for End to Nuclear Deterrence on 80th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing
The mayor of Hiroshima urged the world’s most powerful nations to abandon nuclear deterrence during a ceremony marking 80 years since the city was destroyed by a U.S. atomic bomb.
As survivors, residents, and representatives from 120 countries gathered at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park on Wednesday, Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have fueled growing acceptance of nuclear weapons.
“These actions blatantly ignore the lessons the world should have learned from past tragedies,” he said in his peace declaration, standing near the A-Bomb Dome—one of the few structures still standing after the attack.
“They risk undoing decades of efforts to build peace,” he added, calling on younger generations to recognize that relying on nuclear weapons could lead to “utterly inhumane” consequences.
Despite global instability, Matsui insisted, “We must never give up. Instead, we must work harder to build a global consensus that nuclear weapons must be abolished for a truly peaceful world.”
As applause filled the air, white doves were released, and the eternal “Flame of Peace” burned in front of a cenotaph honoring the victims of the world’s first nuclear attack.
The ceremony was seen as a crucial opportunity for aging hibakusha—survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings—to share firsthand accounts of the horrors of nuclear war.
Fewer than 100,000 survivors remain, with an average age of 86. This year, the names of 4,940 deceased survivors were added to the memorial, bringing the total death toll from the bombing to nearly 350,000.
Matsui recalled the story of a woman who begged for water as fires raged after the bombing. Decades later, a witness still regretted being unable to help. “She vowed to fight for nuclear abolition as her way of honoring the dead,” he said.
Three days after Hiroshima, the U.S. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people. While debate continues over whether the bombings were justified, many Americans believe they forced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945.
Nihon Hidankyo, a survivors’ group that recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, warned that humanity is running out of time to challenge nuclear-armed nations like the U.S. and Russia, which hold 90% of the world’s 12,000+ warheads.
“The nuclear threat is greater than ever,” the group said. “Our biggest challenge is to change the policies of nuclear states—even slightly.”
At 8:15 a.m., the exact moment the bomb detonated, Hiroshima fell silent. Many bowed their heads in prayer, remembering the lives lost eight decades ago.They bowed their heads and closed their eyes, some with hands clasped in prayer. The advanced age of those who survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings has become a central focus of this year’s memorial.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui gave a speech urging renewed efforts to abandon nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who visited the park early in the morning with her grandson, told reporters her parents and grandparents had died because of the Hiroshima bombing.
“My grandfather died soon after the attack, while my father and mother both later developed cancer and passed away,” she said. “My parents-in-law also died, so my husband never saw them again when he returned from the war. People are still suffering.”
Russia did not send an official to the ceremony, but its ally Belarus attended for the first time in four years. Representatives from Taiwan and Palestine were also present for the first time, according to Japanese media.
Japan’s government has faced criticism for refusing to sign a 2021 treaty banning nuclear weapons. While dozens of countries have joined the treaty, none of the recognized nuclear powers—or nations like Japan that rely on U.S. nuclear protection—have done so.
After laying a wreath at the memorial, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba did not mention the treaty but said Japan has a “mission” as the only country attacked with nuclear weapons to lead global disarmament efforts.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a statement that “the same weapons that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki are again being used as tools of intimidation.” However, he added that the Nobel Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo (a survivors’ group) offers hope, urging nations to “draw strength from Hiroshima’s resilience and the wisdom of the hibakusha (survivors).”
