Japan commemorates eightieth anniversary of Hiroshima’s nuclear bombing

(MENAFN) Japan observed the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday, honoring the victims and issuing a stark warning against the renewed threat of nuclear war as tensions between the United States and Russia escalate.

At exactly 8:15 a.m. — the moment the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on August 6, 1945 — a silent prayer was held. The ceremony gathered hundreds of black-clad officials, students, and survivors who laid flowers at the memorial cenotaph, with the ruins of the iconic A-Bomb Dome visible in the background.

On a sweltering morning, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui addressed the crowd, cautioning against the current global trend of military buildup. His remarks referenced the ongoing war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and deteriorating arms control agreements between major powers.

"These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," Matsui said. "They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct."

The 1945 bombing killed an estimated 140,000 people, either instantly or from radiation-related injuries in the weeks and months that followed. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing another 74,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, effectively ending World War II.

Today, Hiroshima is a bustling city of 1.2 million people, yet the memory of the devastation endures. On the eve of the ceremony, mourners gathered to pay tribute to the victims. By dawn on Wednesday, families of the deceased came to pray, reinforcing Hiroshima’s enduring role as a symbol of peace and a warning to the world.

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