Three days after commemorating the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima’s nuclear horror, Nagasaki observed the 78th anniversary of its own atomic devastation. On 9 August 1945, a U.S. atomic bomb killed over 70,000 people—mostly civilians—leading to Japan’s unconditional surrender six days later and ending World War II. A minute of silence was held at 11:02 local time (4:02 Italian time) in the city’s Peace Park.
Representatives from 94 countries and regions attended the ceremony, contrasting with last year’s diplomatic tensions when Nagasaki excluded Israel over Gaza conflict, prompting U.S. and other G7 ambassadors to boycott the event.
In the Peace Declaration, Mayor Shiro Suzuki urged world leaders to spell out concrete plans for nuclear abolition. He highlighted how *Nihon Hidankyo*—Japan’s atomic bomb survivors’ group and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate—demonstrated “civil society’s enhanced capacity for cooperation.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed Japan’s decades-long commitment to neither possess, produce, nor permit nuclear weapons on its soil, pledging to “steadfastly lead global efforts toward a nuclear-free world.” His address omitted reference to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (effective 2021), despite appeals from Hiroshima and Nagasaki for Japan to join.
UN Under-Secretary Izumi Nakamitsu echoed disarmament priorities in her statement: “We must recommit to proven tools: dialogue, diplomacy, confidence-building, transparency, and arms control.”
Government data revealed the number of officially recognized *hibakusha* (atomic bomb survivors) from both attacks fell below 100,000 for the first time this March, totaling 99,130 with an average age exceeding 86 years.
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