Thousands of people gathered in Hiroshima on Thursday to mark 70 years since an atom bomb was dropped on the city by a US aircraft.
Approximately 55,000 people attended a ceremony at the peace park in Hiroshima, which saw bells tolled and doves released into the sky. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the audience that Japan had “an important mission to bring about a world without nuclear weapons”.
However, the prime minister also faced protests at the fringe of the ceremony, with hundreds of people demonstrating against his new security bills and the continued presence of US military bases in Japan.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Hiroshima’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, who appealed directly to US President Barack Obama to strive towards a nuclear weapon free world. Marking the deaths of 140,000 people who died in the bombing and from its subsequent effects, Mr Matsui said, “President Obama and other policymakers, please come to the A-bombed cities, hear the survivors with your own ears, and encounter the reality of the atomic bombings”.
“You will be impelled to start discussing a legal framework, including a nuclear weapons convention,” he added, saying nuclear weapons represent the “absolute inhumanity and the absolute evil”.
UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, did not attend the ceremony but sent a message, thanking the people of Hiroshima for “reminding all people of the need for urgent action” with regards to nuclear weapons.
“In the months after the bombing, it was said that trees and other plants would not grow for 75 years,” said the secretary general. “Now, seven decades later, this vibrant city is proof of the resilience of its people and a monument to the indomitable spirit of humanity.”
“You are an inspiration to the world, which has a responsibility to honour your experience by ensuring a world free of nuclear weapons.”
Approximately 55,000 people attended a ceremony at the peace park in Hiroshima, which saw bells tolled and doves released into the sky. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the audience that Japan had “an important mission to bring about a world without nuclear weapons”.
However, the prime minister also faced protests at the fringe of the ceremony, with hundreds of people demonstrating against his new security bills and the continued presence of US military bases in Japan.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Hiroshima’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, who appealed directly to US President Barack Obama to strive towards a nuclear weapon free world. Marking the deaths of 140,000 people who died in the bombing and from its subsequent effects, Mr Matsui said, “President Obama and other policymakers, please come to the A-bombed cities, hear the survivors with your own ears, and encounter the reality of the atomic bombings”.
“You will be impelled to start discussing a legal framework, including a nuclear weapons convention,” he added, saying nuclear weapons represent the “absolute inhumanity and the absolute evil”.
UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, did not attend the ceremony but sent a message, thanking the people of Hiroshima for “reminding all people of the need for urgent action” with regards to nuclear weapons.
“In the months after the bombing, it was said that trees and other plants would not grow for 75 years,” said the secretary general. “Now, seven decades later, this vibrant city is proof of the resilience of its people and a monument to the indomitable spirit of humanity.”
“You are an inspiration to the world, which has a responsibility to honour your experience by ensuring a world free of nuclear weapons.”