Nagasaki Marks 81st Anniversary of Atomic Bombing, Mayor Says City Must Remain the Last Such Site

On Sunday, Nagasaki observed the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing at Nagasaki Peace Park. Mayor Shiro Suzuki expressed deep concern over signs of a reversal in nuclear disarmament and declared that Nagasaki must remain the sole site of an atomic bombing. He vowed that the city would continue to work in solidarity with peace advocates worldwide to achieve the total abolition of nuclear weapons and global peace.

Survivors of the bombing, family members, and foreign representatives attended the ceremony. The ceremonial Bell of Nagasaki was rung at 11:02 a.m., marking the moment the atomic bomb detonated 81 years prior. Mayor Suzuki highlighted the case of Katsuji Yoshida, who sustained severe facial burns from the blast and shared his experiences.

He emphasized that nuclear weapons are not a "necessary evil" but an "absolute evil" and cannot coexist with humanity, criticizing the three insufficient outcomes at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conferences. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged the government's commitment to realistic and practical methods to realize a world free of nuclear weapons while upholding the country's Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Registries containing the names of 2,773 survivors who died in the past year were presented. According to the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry, there are currently 91,105 atomic bomb survivors with Health Handbooks, with an average age of 86.66.