On August 6, Hiroshima, Japan, urged world leaders to eliminate nuclear weapons amid rising global tensions and the risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The appeal was made during the ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in 1945.
At the event, officials and residents of Hiroshima expressed deep concern that nuclear weapons are being used as "tools of intimidation" in current military conflicts. They also criticized "arbitrary actions by major powers" that violate international law and increase the risk of a new nuclear war.
The city of Hiroshima stressed that the tragedy it endured more than eight decades ago must never be repeated anywhere in the world. The "Little Boy" atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killed approximately 140,000 people by the end of that year, while the second bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later caused an additional 70,000 deaths.
The event takes place against a backdrop of threats to nuclear arms control treaties between major powers and nearly stalled international disarmament negotiations. Analysts suggest that Hiroshima's call serves as a wake-up call to the international community about the worsening security instability.
Japan, the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, maintains its stance opposing nuclear weapons and advocates for a world free of such weapons of mass destruction. However, amid a complex regional security environment, Tokyo is also strengthening military cooperation with its allies, creating contradictions in its foreign policy.
