Memorial Ceremony for the 70th Anniversary of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing

At the memorial ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima held on Thursday, August 14, Kazumi Matsui, the mayor of the city, urged Barack Obama and other world leaders to intensify their efforts for a world free of nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, at 8:15 AM on Thursday, the exact time of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, thousands of people observed a minute of silence in Peace Park, a memorial built at the center of the explosion area. Then, dozens of white doves flew as a symbol of peace. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima was the first nuclear weapon used in war, resulting in the deaths of 140,000 people. A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki a few days later, claiming about 70,000 victims. These two atomic attacks hastened Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. At that time, the U.S. government claimed that it used these bombs to avoid heavy casualties from a large-scale offensive operation on Japanese soil. In an operation prior to this bombing to capture the Okinawa Islands in southern Japan, over 12,000 American soldiers and about 200,000 Japanese lost their lives, half of whom were civilians. The mayor of Hiroshima described nuclear weapons as an 'absolute evil and inhumane tool' that must be dismantled and destroyed, criticizing nuclear-armed countries that use these tools as threats to advance their interests. He added that due to the existence of 15,000 nuclear weapons, the world will always live in fear. He reiterated his invitation to world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the G7 summit to be held in Japan next year. Kazumi Matsui stated, 'President Obama and other policymakers, please come to the bombed cities and hear the stories of the survivors of these tragedies with your own ears, and familiarize yourselves with the realities of nuclear weapons and atomic bombings. It will undoubtedly convince you to prioritize new legal and diplomatic actions, including a charter for the control and elimination of nuclear weapons.' The Associated Press noted that the memorial ceremony for the nuclear bombings of Japanese cities takes place amid public disagreement in Japan over the recent decision by Shinzo Abe's government to expand the country's participation in military actions with a new interpretation of the constitution. In another part of his speech, the mayor of Hiroshima added, 'We must build extensive structures for the national security of the country that rely on trust rather than military power.' He urged the Japanese government to 'adhere to the peace-promoting themes in Japan's constitution and lead international efforts for the control and elimination of nuclear weapons.' Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, also stated in his speech at the ceremony that Japan, as the only country to have been targeted by nuclear bombing, has a duty to strive for the control and elimination of nuclear weapons. He pledged to emphasize this issue during an international conference scheduled to be held in Hiroshima at the end of August. Given that the average age of the victims and survivors of the atomic bombing of Japan is now about 80 years, preserving and transmitting their memories and experiences to future generations is an urgent duty. Over the past year, more than 5,000 of these individuals have passed away. Thus, the total number of casualties from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima reaches about 300,000. Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, and representatives from over 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Russia, attended the ceremony. The atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima was named 'Little Boy' and was carried by a B-29 bomber. The explosion of this atomic bomb destroyed 90% of the city of Hiroshima. The spread of radioactive materials in the area, known as 'black rain,' caused many of those who survived the attack to develop cancer and other diseases in the following years.