Doves fly over the Statue of Peace during a ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park in Nagasaki (Kyodo News via AP)Nagasaki has marked the 76th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city with its mayor urging Japan, the United States and Russia to do more to eliminate nuclear weapons. Mr Taue also singled out the United States and Russia – which have the biggest arsenals by far – to do more for nuclear disarmament, as he raised concern that nuclear states have backtracked from disarmament efforts and are upgrading nuclear weapons. The bombing, on August 9, 1945, came three days after the United States made the world’s first atomic attack on Hiroshima, killing 140,000. Mr Taue also called for a substantial progress toward nuclear disarmament made at next year’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference, “starting with greater steps by the US and Russia to reduce nuclear weapons”. He asked Mr Suga’s government to step up and speed up medical and welfare support for the aging atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, whose average age is now over 83 years.

Source: Irish Independent August 09, 2021 05:03 UTC