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Nagasaki Ceremony Urges Nuclear Abolition at 80th Anniversary

Survivors urged younger generations to carry forward Hibakusha testimonies at the ceremony attended by 90 nations despite China’s no-show

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A person prays, ahead of a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing at Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park in Nagasaki, western Japan Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Overview

  • About 2,600 participants from over 90 countries observed a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m. in Nagasaki Peace Park to mark the 1945 plutonium bomb detonation.
  • Mayor Shiro Suzuki called on the world to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site by mobilizing global citizens toward complete nuclear weapons abolition.
  • Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed Japan’s nuclear-free world goal under the NPT and committed to dialogue at the 2026 review conference but again omitted the prohibition treaty.
  • The number of hibakusha has fallen to roughly 99,130 with an average age above 86, prompting urgency to preserve survivors’ firsthand accounts through youth engagement.
  • China’s unexplained absence contrasted with participation by nuclear powers, including the U.S. and Russia, underscoring diplomatic tensions at the memorial.