Japan marks anniversary of world's first atomic bomb attack
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged today to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons as Hiroshima marked the 62nd anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack.
The attack on the Japanese city killed more than 140,000 people.
Survivors, residents, visitors and officials from around the world observed a minute’s silence at 8.15am (0015 Irish time), marking the time when the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
It was the first atomic bomb ever used in war.
An estimated 140,000 people were killed instantly or died within a few months after the bombing.
Three days later, another US warplane dropped a plutonium bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing about 80,000 people.
“Japan has been taking the path toward global peace for 62 years after the Second World War. The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never be repeated in any place on earth,” Abe said in a speech at Hiroshima Peace Park, near the bomb’s epicentre. “We will take an initiative in the international community and devote ourselves wholeheartedly toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and realisation of peace.”
Abe also said Japan will remain committed to the country’s three principles of not possessing, developing or allowing nuclear weapons on Japanese soil.
His remarks followed the resignation last month of Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma amid a public outcry over his having suggested that the US atomic bombings may have been justified.
Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba urged the central government to stick to its war-renouncing Constitution.
“The Japanese government should comply with the nation’s pacifist Constitution and clearly say no to wrong and outdated policies of the United States,” Akiba said.
About 260,000 people survived the attacks. Many have developed various illnesses caused by radiation exposure, including cancer and liver diseases.
Ceremonies will also be held on Thursday’s anniversary of the Nagasaki attack.
Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing the Second World War.
