On the occasion of the atomic bomb’s anniversary, the mayor of Nagasaki issued a “crisis” warning

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, nuclear weapons pose a “problem that is concrete and current,” the mayor of Nagasaki said on Tuesday, the 77th anniversary of the atomic explosion that decimated the Japanese city. The catastrophe was caused by the United States dropping an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Three days after the first nuclear bomb was detonated in Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945, a second bomb was detonated in Nagasaki, which resulted in an inferno that claimed the lives of 74,000 people.

The United States twin bombing raids on Japan brought an end to World War II, and to this day, Japan is the only nation to have been struck by atomic bombs during a conflict involving another nation.

However, on Tuesday, Mayor Tomihisa Taue issued a warning to the community.

‘A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be waged,’ the leaders of the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China all agreed in a joint declaration back in January of this year, he added.

The use of nuclear weapons has been threatened, which has caused people all across the world to feel uneasy.

“The deployment of nuclear weapons is not a ‘groundless dread’ but a ‘concrete and present catastrophe,'” Taue said, warning that they may be launched as a result of erroneous judgments, malfunctions, or terrorist attacks.

At the very moment when the bomb was detonated above the port city—11:02 am local time, or 0202 GMT—survivors, foreign dignitaries, and hundreds of members of the general public came together to pray in silence.

During the solemn memorial service that was held in Nagasaki’s Peace Park, bells were rung out and doves were let free. Additionally, pure water was presented during a prayer ritual for the victims who passed away as a result of burns and other injuries.

According to Taue, the human race ought to focus its efforts on fostering “a culture of peace” that promotes trust, respects the opinions of others, and looks for ways to resolve disagreements via conversation.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the bombing that took place in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, Antonio Guterres, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered a speech there. The bombing resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who died as a result of radiation exposure after the blast.

As issues throughout the globe that have the potential for nuclear tragedy continue to multiply, he issued a warning that “humanity is toying with a loaded pistol.”

At the event that took place on Tuesday, a statement from Guterres was read out in Japanese. It noted that “in these times of high tensions and poor levels of trust, we should draw on the lessons of Nagasaki.”

Japan has for a long time advocated for a world free of nuclear weapons; however, it did not sign a nuclear ban treaty that entered into force in 2021. The Japanese government has stated that it hopes to bridge the gap between nuclear powers that did not sign the treaty and countries that do not have nuclear weapons.