Japanese PM Ishiba rejected the possibility of his country sharing U.S. nuclear weapons.

On Wednesday, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on the international community to reach a consensus to eliminate nuclear weapons.

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“Despite the current turmoil among states, we the people must never give up. Instead, we must redouble our efforts to build a civil society consensus on the need to abolish nuclear weapons for a truly peaceful world,” he said in a peace message issued on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

“Please visit Hiroshima. See with your own eyes the effects of an atomic bombing. Sincerely accept Hiroshima’s peaceful spirit and immediately begin discussions on a security framework based on trust through dialogue,” Matsui added.

About 55,000 people from 120 countries took part in the peace ceremony in the Japanese city. The Peace Bell rang in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during a moment of silence observed at 8:15 a.m. —the exact moment the “Little Boy” bomb was dropped by the Enola Gay bomber, instantly killing an estimated 70,000 people. That figure would double by the end of 1945.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said during the ceremony that Tokyo must “lead global efforts” to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

“Leading the international community toward a world without nuclear weapons is Japan’s mission as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war and as a nation that upholds the three non-nuclear principles,” Ishiba said. He also rejected the possibility of Japan sharing U.S. nuclear weapons and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to adhering to those principles.

The text reads, “Eighty years ago, the useless bomb fell on Hiroshima. One of the most vile war acts in history, which served for people to understand who the world’s new masters were.”

On Wednesday, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) also warned that the risk of nuclear weapons being used is higher now than ever before due to ongoing global tensions.

“The risk of nuclear weapons use is higher now than ever—we have a range of confrontations and conflicts involving nuclear-armed states,” ICAN Director Melissa Parke.

“We must remember that the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki would today be described as tactical nuclear weapons,” said Parke, whose organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

“It’s been 80 years since the United States invented and used a nuclear weapon. These weapons have killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people and caused severe intergenerational and environmental damage,” Parke added.

“What is commemorated in Hiroshima is not an isolated event but 80 years of catastrophic, widespread and ongoing harm,” she said, emphasizing that humanity must not only eliminate all nuclear weapons but also reject the very idea that nuclear deterrence is a viable option.

The United States carried out the world’s first nuclear attack on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Three days later, it dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. It is estimated that about 210,000 people died over the years as a result of the bombings, which also left 150,000 injured and caused lasting humanitarian and environmental consequences.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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