On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, Nagasaki’s mayor cautioned that the world faces the risk of another devastating nuclear attack.
About 2,600 individuals, including delegates from 90 nations, gathered for the memorial ceremony on Saturday at Nagasaki Peace Park. A moment of silence was observed at 11:02 a.m., precisely when the bomb detonated over the city. Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, whose parents were survivors of the 1945 assault, spoke to the assembly, urging worldwide efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Suzuki stated to the attendees on Saturday, through a translation, that “Global conflicts are escalating within a destructive cycle of opposition and division.” He added, “Should this path persist, we will plunge ourselves into nuclear warfare. This fundamental threat to humanity is now directly confronting every person on Earth.”
Mayors for Peace, an organization comprising mayors and city leaders globally, convened its 11th General Conference in Nagasaki this weekend as the city commemorated the somber anniversary. Suzuki highlighted the organization’s objective: the elimination of nuclear weapons.
According to The Mainichi, Suzuki asserted, “To ensure Nagasaki remains the final site of an atomic bombing, a clear strategy for achieving nuclear disarmament is imperative. Delay is no longer acceptable.”
The mayor also pointed out that the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the (NPT) “will be a pivotal juncture that could influence humanity’s destiny.”
Every five years, global leaders gather to assess the stipulations of the NPT, which was opened for signing in 1968 and became effective in 1970, a quarter-century after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
The U.S. deployed two atomic bombs on Japan within a three-day span. The initial bomb struck Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by the second on Nagasaki three days later, on August 9. These bombings devastated both cities, culminating in Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945, and subsequently the .
A bomb dubbed “Little Boy,” weighing around 9,000 pounds and yielding an explosive power comparable to 20,000 tons of TNT, exploded 1,800 feet above Hiroshima, inflicting widespread destruction. “Fat Man,” the bomb used on Nagasaki, weighed 10,000 pounds and detonated at roughly the same elevation as “Little Boy.”
As reported by The Mainichi, Suzuki stated, “I wish to extend my profound condolences for the lives lost due to the atomic bombings, and to all war victims.” He continued, “Commemorating 80 years since the atomic bombing, Nagasaki is committed to persistently conveying, domestically and internationally, the bombing’s memories, which form a shared legacy for all humanity and must be transmitted across generations worldwide.”
He concluded with a declaration, also translated by The Mainichi: “I hereby declare that, to ensure Nagasaki remains the final atomic bombing site now and for all time, we will collaborate with global citizens and commit our supreme endeavors toward nuclear weapon abolition and the achievement of enduring world peace.”