Hiroshima Marks 67th Anniversary of Atomic Bomb Attack With Call for Nuclear Disarmament
montrealgazette.com
Anti-nuclear protesters stage a rally in Hiroshima, western Japan, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012. Hiroshima marked the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing Monday. A banner, third right, reads “Osprey and nuclear plants are unnecessary.” Two of the MV-22 Osprey, U.S. Marine Corps’ latest transport plane, have crashed since April and swelling opposition to their deployment has become a major political headache for Tokyo and Washington. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Hiroshima marked the 67th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack on Monday with a call for the elimination of nuclear arsenals.
About 50,000 people gathered in Hiroshima’s peace park near the epicenter of the 1945 blast that destroyed most of the city and killed as many as 140,000 people. A second atomic bombing Aug. 9 that year in Nagasaki killed tens of thousands more and prompted Japan to surrender to the World War II Allies.
The ceremony, attended by representatives of about 70 countries, began with the ringing of a temple bell and a moment of silence. Flowers were placed before Hiroshima’s eternal flame, which is the park’s centerpiece.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said Japan must take a bolder role in leading global disarmament efforts and called on world leaders to come to his city to “contemplate peace.”
He also said the nuclear accident at Fukushima last year has shown the dangers of nuclear technology, even for peaceful purposes, and urged the government to create a mix of energy sources for Japan that is safe and secure.
“I firmly believe that the demand for freedom from nuclear weapons will soon spread out from Hiroshima, encircle the globe, and lead us to genuine world peace,” he said.