Hiroshima Marks 80th Anniversary Amid Urgent Pleas for Nuclear Disarmament

HIROSHIMA, Japan – Today, August 6, 2025, Hiroshima solemnly observed the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing, with aging survivors expressing profound frustration over the international community’s growing acceptance of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. This milestone event is considered potentially the last major anniversary for many of the rapidly declining survivor population, whose average age now exceeds 86.

The ceremony saw Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui issue a stark warning against increasing military buildups and the normalization of nuclear weapons for national security, referencing current global conflicts. Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, emphasized the urgency of sharing their painful experiences before their generation is gone. The bombing on August 6, 1945, devastated Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people, followed by the Nagasaki bombing three days later, which killed 70,000, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese survivor organization, voiced their disappointment with nuclear-armed states, noting the severe nuclear threat. The event drew representatives from a record 120 countries, including Russia and Belarus, who observed a minute of silence at 8:15 a.m., the exact moment the bomb detonated. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, while reiterating his government’s commitment to a nuclear-free world, maintained Japan’s reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for deterrence, a stance that continues to disappoint many survivors who advocate for Japan to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

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