Hiroshima Mayor Seeks End to Reliance on Nuke Deterrence

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui stressed the need to end reliance on nuclear deterrence in an annual peace declaration Tuesday, the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. 

Military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are "deepening distrust and fear among nations, reinforcing the public assumption that, to solve international problems, we have to rely on military force, which we should be rejecting," Matsui said.

Saying that dialogue brought an end to the Cold War, Matsui observed that "policymakers can overcome even critical situations through resolute commitment to dialogue."

The declaration was read out during the city's annual peace ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which brought together about 50,000 people including hibakusha atomic bomb survivors, bereaved families and dignitaries such as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Also included were representatives of 109 countries and the European Union.

At 8:15 a.m., the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on Aug. 6, 1945, participants offered silent prayers for one minute as the city's Peace Bell rang.

In the declaration, Matsui referred to the importance of exchanges within civil society, especially among young people.

Through such exchanges, "let us create a world in which we all share the culture of peace," he said.

Matsui again urged the Japanese central government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He also called for expanding support for hibakusha survivors.

Giving a speech, Kishida said that it is the duty of Japan, the only country that experienced atomic bombings in war, to make efforts to realize a world without nuclear weapons.

He also expressed a resolve to lead the international community in building momentum for nuclear disarmament.

During this year's ceremony, a name list of 5,079 hibakusha survivors who were confirmed dead in the past year was placed in the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims.

The official count of deaths among those who suffered the atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima thus rose to 344,306.

According to the welfare ministry, Japan had 106,825 hibakusha survivors at the end of March. Their average age was 85.58, up 0.57 from a year before.

At the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, took a moment of silence for the victims of the Hiroshima bombing.

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