Hiroshima Mayor to Urge Abandonment of Nuclear Deterrence

Hiroshima, Aug. 1 (Jiji Press)--Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said Thursday that he will urge world leaders to abandon their reliance on nuclear deterrence, in a speech to be delivered at an annual peace ceremony next week.

Matsui told a press conference that in the speech, he will express concern that the view is growing that there is no choice but to rely on force to resolve international disputes.

In the speech, Matsui will also propose actions for peace that citizens, led by young generations, should take.

He will make the speech in the peace ceremony that will take place on Tuesday to commemorate the 1945 atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

The speech will also cite atomic bomb survivors' experiences and the words of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped end the Cold War.

At a time when wars deprive many innocent people of their lives, peaceful settlements through dialogue are becoming more important than ever, Matsui said.

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