US bombings of the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 of 1945 are the only incidents of nuclear bombings in world history.
By Abdul Rahman
Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima (Photo via Tomoko Tamura/X)
Over 50,000 people, including representatives from 109 countries, joined an event marking the 79th anniversary of the US’s bombing of Hiroshima. The main ceremony was held at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park on Tuesday, August 6.
A total of 344,306 people were killed during the bombing as well as in the aftermath. Despite knowing the widespread destruction and irreversible losses caused by the attack, the US dropped another nuclear bomb on Nagasaki just three days later on August 9, killing 40,000 people immediately. The number of people killed in Nagasaki would double that figure in most estimates.
Speaking during the ceremony, Hiroshima city Mayor Matsui Kazumi expressed concerns that the world is moving towards greater reliance on military forces to solve issues. “Our unity will move leaders now relying on nuclear deterrence to shift their policies,” Kazumi said.
Kazumi cited the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as examples of how growing reliance on military solutions may end up causing irreparable damage to humanity.
Israel was not invited to the ceremony due to its genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed close to 40,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 100,000 since October of last year.
Marking the day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “nuclear weapons and the threat of their use are not confined to history books. They have once again appeared in the daily rhetoric of international relations. They represent a real and present danger that remains with us today.”
Kazumi also demanded that Japan join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The third conference of the parties to this treaty is scheduled to be held in March of next year in New York.
As per a UN General Assembly resolution, a conference was first held in 2017 which adopted the TPNW. The treaty “includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities. These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.” The TPNW entered into force in January 2021.
Although over 90 countries have signed the TPNW thus far, the treaty does not include a single nuclear power.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio also attended the ceremony. The Kishida government has remained vague regarding its position on the treaty. Representatives of the atomic bomb survivors met him on the sideline of the memorial, demanding that Japan join the treaty. Kishida responded by averting any direct commitment, claiming instead that he wants “to move forward together with those working on the treaty.”
Several survivors quoted by HKS Japan also emphasized the need for complete abolition of nuclear weapons. Survivor Suemasa Sadako, now 90, maintains that “nuclear weapons and humans can’t coexist.”
“Atomic bombs will lead to the destruction of mankind,” Sadako articulated.
The Japanese Communist Party is leading a campaign to press the government to sign the TPNW. The party has opposed Japan’s recent abandonment of its defensive military strategy and its push towards armament and militarization, and firmly stands with the push towards nuclear disarmament.
Abdul Rahman is a peoplesdispatch reporter.
This article was published on August 7, 2024 at peoplesdispatch.