Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bomb anniversary as mayor deplores the pursuit of nuclear weapons
Doves are released during a memorial at the Peace Memorial Ceremony, on the 81st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 2026. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
Hiroshima on Aug. 6 marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with its mayor criticizing major powers for waging wars and urging them to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a method of deterrence.
“Downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one’s own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui said.
Too many political leaders still consider nuclear deterrence a realistic approach and legitimize violence, which “simply pushes a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance,” Matsui said in his peace declaration at the ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. He also called on each citizen to learn lessons from the past and take action.
