Photo/Illutration Mourners gathered to observe a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the exact time the United States dropped the first atomic bomb 80 years ago, in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward on Aug. 6. (Masaru Komiyaji)

HIROSHIMA—Mourners pledged to carry on the work of the hibakusha, most of whom have passed, to abolish nuclear weapons as Japan marked 80 years since the atomic bomb caused an immense loss of life.

Many visited the Peace Memorial Park here in the city’s Naka Ward before sunrise on Aug. 6 to pay their respects.

During the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony, attendees from far and near observed a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the exact time when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the city.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui delivered his peace declaration, in which he observed there remains no end in sight regarding Israel's attacks on Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

The mayor expressed his concern, saying, "Feeling the pressure of this situation, policymakers in some countries even accept the idea that 'nuclear weapons are essential for national defense.'"

In the declaration, the mayor quoted a phrase frequently expressed by the late Sunao Tsuboi, a leading figure of Nihon Hidankyo (The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

“Never give up.”

The mayor said Tsuboi often told young people, “Building a peaceful world without nuclear weapons will demand our never-give-up spirit. We have to talk and keep talking to people who hold opposing views.”

The mayor added: “Despite the current turmoil at the nation-state level, we, the people, must never give up. Instead, we must work even harder to build civil society consensus that nuclear weapons must be abolished for a genuinely peaceful world.”

The mayor also urged policymakers around the world to abandon “security policies derived from narrow self-interest” and start “discussing a security framework based on trust through dialogue.”

Despite being a country that suffered two atomic bombings, Japan has not joined the United Nation's Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The mayor called on the Japanese government to respond to the wishes of hibakusha by becoming a member party of the TPNW and participating as an observer in the treaty's first review conference next year.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered a speech at the ceremony and stated, “Leading the international community’s efforts toward a world without nuclear weapons is the mission of our country, the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings in war.”

However, like previous prime ministers, Ishiba did not mention the TPNW in his speech.

A record number of representatives from 120 countries and regions attended this year’s ceremony.

Taiwan and Palestine, whose statehood Japan does not officially recognize, also participated for the first time.

Belarus, an ally of Russia that had not been invited for three consecutive years until last year, attended for the first time in four years.

Meanwhile, Russia was absent.

A register of the atomic bomb victims was dedicated at the ceremony. It includes the names of 4,940 hibakusha confirmed to have passed away within the past year.

This addition brings the total number of deceased to 349,246.