Nagasaki Mayor Warns of Rising Nuclear Threat

(MENAFN) Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki issued a stark warning about the growing risk of nuclear warfare on Saturday during the observance of the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city, as reported by a news agency.

"This existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth," declared Shiro Suzuki in a peace message presented at the annual memorial.

He described a troubling global situation marked by a "vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation."

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed Japan's vow to abstain from owning, manufacturing, or allowing the deployment of nuclear arms.

Japan, he stated, will strive to spearhead international initiatives to create "a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons."

The United States dropped the plutonium-based device, "Fat Man," on the coastal city of Nagasaki at 11:02 a.m. local time (0202 GMT) on August 9, 1945, just days following the atomic attack on Hiroshima.

The blast resulted in the deaths of 74,000 individuals in Nagasaki.

Japan officially surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing World War II to a close.

This year’s memorial service at Nagasaki Peace Park, situated near the blast's epicenter, saw participation from 94 nations and territories—slightly fewer than the 100 represented last year.

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