Nuclear Disarmament Advocacy Set to Resume in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 1 and 9, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings with peace ceremonies, reiterating their calls for a world without nuclear weapons.
In the Hiroshima ceremony, Mayor Kazumi Matsui will deliver a speech, emphasising the importance of empathy and compassion towards others. He will highlight the hibakusha survivors' testimonies as a moral force for peace. Matsui will urge global leaders to revise policies to oppose military force and support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), calling on Japan to sign and ratify it. He will also advocate for establishing a security framework based on trust and dialogue as a path to genuine lasting peace.
At the Nagasaki ceremony on August 9, Mayor Shiro Suzuki will speak at the Mayors for Peace conference, reinforcing the global commitment needed to eliminate nuclear threats. Suzuki will emphasise the importance of learning from the peace efforts of various cities and finding new collaborations to abolish nuclear weapons.
Both mayors are advocating for global solidarity, comprehensive eradication of nuclear weapons, upholding the testimonies and legacy of atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha), implementing international treaties like the TPNW, and promoting dialogue and trust-based security frameworks worldwide.
In his speech, Matsui will warn that more world leaders are thinking that nuclear weapons are essential for national defense. He will express concern about nuclear war and call on leaders to immediately begin discussing a security framework based on trust through dialogue.
The Hiroshima ceremony will feature hibakusha atomic bomb survivors' experiences, while the Nagasaki ceremony will see Suzuki call on world leaders to chart a concrete path toward abolishing nuclear weapons and to stop wars immediately.
These messages aim to protect and build peace for the present and future by tackling the continued existential threat posed by nuclear weapons. The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will renew their push to abolish nuclear weapons next week.
[1] Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2021 - http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/kurashi/sitiban/peace/declaration/2021/index.html [2] Nagasaki Peace Declaration 2021 - https://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp/sites/default/files/2021/07/20210723_1500_nagasaki_peace_declaration_english_version.pdf [3] Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - https://www.hiroshimapm.org/ [4] Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum - https://www.nagasaki-museum.jp/en/
- The media should cover the peace ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, focusing on Mayor Kazumi Matsui's call forglobal leaders to revise policies against military force and support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
- Politicsshould prioritize the general news of war-and-conflicts, as evidenced by the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who are advocating for worldwide eradication of nuclear weapons and establishing trust-based security frameworks, using the testimonies of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors as a moral force for peace.
