81 Years After the Atomic Bomb, Nagasaki Mayor Warns of Rising Risk of Nuclear War

Eight decades after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Mayor Shiro Suzuki warned that the risk of war using nuclear weapons is growing.

Kyodo News, quoted on Monday, August 10, reported that Suzuki delivered the warning in a Peace Declaration at a ceremony commemorating the United States' atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Sunday.

"Nuclear weapons are not a 'necessary evil', but an 'absolute evil', and can never coexist with humanity," Suzuki said.

He also called the concept of nuclear deterrence as something that is "very dangerous and fragile".

Nuclear deterrence is a strategy to prevent attacks by relying on the threat of retaliation using nuclear weapons.

Suzuki reminded that more than 12,000 nuclear warheads still exist in the world. He highlighted the uncertainty of conflicts involving nuclear weapons states, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the United States-led war against Iran.

The ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park was attended by about 3,700 people, including representatives from 98 countries and territories as well as the European Union.

The silence was created at 11.02 local time, at the exact time that the plutonium bomb code-named "Fat Man" was dropped by a US bomber and exploded over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Nagasaki is the last place to experience a nuclear attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated that Japan "remains committed" to the three non-nuclear principles, namely not producing, not possessing, and not allowing the entry of nuclear weapons into the country's territory.

Takaichi said Japan would push for "realistic and practical" steps to realize a world without nuclear weapons.

"The importance of promoting an accurate understanding around the world of the reality of the atomic bombing is becoming greater," he said.

Suzuki also highlighted the failure of the May review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT to produce a final document.

According to the Mayor of Nagasaki, the modernization and improvement of nuclear weapons capabilities only increase the "vicious circle" of mistrust, confrontation, and division.

The NPT review conference, which is held in principle every five years, ended without a consensus for the third consecutive time.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned of the rising nuclear risk.

"From year to year, the risk of miscalculation, escalation, and conflict continues to increase," Guterres said in a statement read on his behalf.

Suzuki asked the Japanese government to maintain the three non-nuclear principles. He also called on Tokyo to attend the review conference of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which is scheduled to take place in November.

Takaichi said Japan would continue to pursue a world without nuclear weapons through the NPT. Regarding the possibility of attending the conference, he said the government needed to consider effective measures for Japan's security while being realistic about promoting nuclear disarmament.

The average age of survivors of the official bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or hibakusha has now exceeded 86 years.

Toyomi Okada, an 87-year-old survivor, still lives in her childhood home about 4.2 kilometers from the blast center. She was six years old when the bomb hit Nagasaki.

"I could see this park directly from my house," Okada said, recalling how the explosion destroyed buildings between his house and the location that is now Peace Park.

The atomic bomb of Nagasaki is believed to have killed around 74,000 people by the end of 1945. Japan surrendered six days later on August 15, ending World War II.

"We are now at a critical time when we can still hear the voices of hibakusha directly," Suzuki said. "Therefore, we are determined to pass on the memories of the atomic bombings and the thoughts of hibakusha to future generations."