Nagasaki Marks 81st Atomic Bombing Anniversary With Nuclear Abolition Call

Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing on Sunday with a memorial ceremony and a call for the total abolition of nuclear weapons. Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivered a Peace Declaration characterizing nuclear weapons as an absolute evil and criticizing nuclear deterrence as extremely dangerous and fragile. Suzuki urged the Japanese government to maintain its three non-nuclear principles and attend the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons review conference in November.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that Japan is upholding the three non-nuclear principles, though she did not clarify if this policy would remain intact during a government review of national security documents. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi called for a taboo-free national debate on nuclear weapons.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the risk of nuclear conflict is increasing. He attributed this rise to the modernization of arsenals and geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East.