It was a bit touch and go for Hiroshima officials, but the atomic bomb memorial park in the western Japanese city is now Pokemon No.
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Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui says world leaders should follow President Barack Obama and learn first-hand about the evils of nuclear weapons.
The WCC past year sent a delegation to the two cities to honour the victims of the bombings, to pray for peace, and to urge nations with nuclear weapons to pursue disarmament.
A video documenting rare footage from Hiroshima and Nagasaki days after the atomic bombings was released over the weekend.
President Obama, who became the first US sitting president to visit site of the first atomic bomb, met with Mori at the May 27 ceremony, and gave him a hug which immediately took the world’s attention.
Around 50,000 people – including representatives from 91 countries such as the U.S., Britain, France and Russian Federation – attended Saturday’s ceremony, during which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will “continue to make various efforts to bring about “a world free of nuclear weapons”. It was the second largest number, following the 100 countries past year that marked the 70th anniversary.
As nuclear power states, representatives from the United States, Britain, France and Russian Federation attended. A moment of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., which was marked with the ringing of the Peace Bell to recall the time the bomb detonated over the city on August 6, 1945.
In his speech, the mayor also cautioned Abe against his push to revise Japan’s war-renouncing constitution to give more power to the Japanese military.
“We think that Hiroshima Day is a very appropriate time to remember the horrors and insanity of nuclear weapon policy”, said Bach, who is also a member of the Massachusetts Peace Action group, which is coordinating the week of remembrance events.
These heartfelt words are having an impact: people from around the world have added their voices to those of the Hibakusha, and the call for a nuclear-free future continues to build.
American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload, dubbed “Little Boy”, on Hiroshima at 8:15 am local time on August 6, 1945. Three days later, the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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I just read an article in the August issue of the VFW magazine titled “Bombing Hiroshima: A Life Saver”. The total number of deceased victims registered at the cenotaph has reached 303,195.
