Nagasaki's Echoing Call for Peace and Nuclear Abolition, Eight Decades Later

Nagasaki's Echoing Call for Peace and Nuclear Abolition, Eight Decades Later

In the heart of August 2025, Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park echoed with a poignant reminder of the past as dignitaries from 95 countries, including nuclear powers like the United States, Russia, and Israel, gathered to mark the 80th anniversary of the city's atomic bombing. Nearly 2,700 mourners were present, listening to the haunting testimony of survivors and demanding urgent, tangible action to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Mayor Shiro Suzuki, standing before the crowd, emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating that delay in addressing the nuclear threat is no longer acceptable. He called on world leaders to heed the lessons of history and return to the ideals of peace enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

The stories of the survivors remain a powerful testament to the human cost of nuclear war. One survivor, sharing her harrowing account, described the aftermath as having people with their eyes gouged out and bodies scattered like stones. The human cost of nuclear war continues to be a significant concern, as evidenced by the enduring pain of survivors, whose number has dwindled to fewer than 100,000 this year.

The bombing of Nagasaki, which occurred on August 9, 1945, with a plutonium bomb known as "Fat Man" being dropped, was a tragic climax to World War II, which ended shortly after with Japan's surrender. The bomb's impact was intensified by Nagasaki's landscape, with its mountains focusing the blast's force on the city's industrial heart. Instantly, approximately 27,000 lives were claimed, and around 70,000 more died by the end of the year due to radiation sickness.

The ongoing risks posed by nuclear arsenals were highlighted by the attendance of nuclear powers at the memorial. Current efforts toward nuclear disarmament in 2025 are marked by renewed calls for urgent action to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race, increased international cooperation, and ongoing faith-based and civil society advocacy.

Key initiatives include the "Call to Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race," launched by a coalition of civil society organizations, former government officials, and experts. This call demands that global leaders take meaningful diplomatic action to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons, emphasising the dangerous resurgence of nuclear tensions with stagnant disarmament diplomacy and the impending expiration of the last major U.S.-Russia arms control agreement, New START, in less than 200 days.

Another significant effort is the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament (2025), a multinational effort focusing on addressing emerging technologies’ impacts on nuclear disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, continuously monitoring and aiding states in preventing non-state actors' acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, also underscores global non-proliferation efforts vital to disarmament strategies.

Civil society and faith-based advocacy, especially highlighted in the context of the 80th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing, have been marking the humanitarian and environmental devastation caused by nuclear weapons and linking past suffering to current advocacy. Organizations like Pax Christi USA and many others issued joint interfaith statements calling for nuclear disarmament and abolition.

Next-generation professional engagement and research are also crucial in sustaining the pipeline of informed leadership and innovation in nuclear risk reduction. Networks such as the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) continue to educate and involve emerging experts through research, events, and policy dialogue on deterrence, arms control, and disarmament.

Today, Nagasaki stands as a solemn plea for a future free from such devastation. The call for disarmament serves as a reminder that the enduring pain of survivors is not just a historical relic but a solemn plea for a peaceful future. At exactly 11:02 a.m., a moment of silence was observed in Nagasaki to commemorate the bombing, a testament to the world's continued commitment to peace and nuclear disarmament.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-russia-nuclear-treaty-new-start-expires-2021-02-05/ [2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sweden-hosts-nuclear-disarmament-conference-2021-06-15/ [3] https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/weapons/chemical/convention/res1540.shtml [4] https://www.poni.org/ [5] https://www.paxchristiusa.org/statements/joint-statement-on-the-80th-anniversary-of-the-atomic-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/

• In the context of the ongoing Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park event marking the 80th anniversary of the city's atomic bombing, the urgency of ridding the world of nuclear weapons was emphasized, linking the past horrors of war-and-conflicts to current politics and general-news concerning nuclear disarmament.
• The attendance of nuclear powers at the memorial served as a stark reminder of the ongoing risks posed by nuclear arsenals, prompting renewed calls for immediate diplomatic action in politics, a key factor in addressing the nuclear threat.

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