Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bombing anniversary with anti-nuclear warnings

Hiroshima marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Aug. 6, with Mayor Kazumi Matsui renewing his warning against nuclear weapons and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attending the annual ceremony.

The observance began with a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the exact time the bomb fell in 1945. Visitors prayed in front of the cenotaph for atomic bombing victims as city officials carried out the ritual of reading a peace declaration and laying wreaths, keeping the focus on remembrance, peace advocacy and anti-nuclear education.

The attack on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed about 78,000 people instantly. City and museum materials say the death toll reached roughly 140,000 by the end of 1945, including many who later died from radiation exposure.

Matsui used the anniversary to criticize major powers for waging wars and urged leaders to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. His warning came as conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have kept nuclear risk in view and revived wider talk of an arms race. Takaichi’s presence gave the ceremony added national weight, underscoring Hiroshima’s role in Japan’s security debate.

The memorial also carried forward the message delivered last year, when then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan must make every effort to realise a world without nuclear war and ultimately a world without nuclear weapons. With living hibakusha growing older and fewer in number, Hiroshima’s annual ceremony has become one of the last major occasions for survivor-centered remembrance to shape public memory and policy arguments. Groups including Physicians for Social Responsibility and Mayors for Peace also marked Hiroshima week with calls for nuclear abolition and remembrance.