Japan Remembers Hiroshima Atomic Bombing

The Japanese city of Hiroshima held its annual peace memorial ceremony Thursday to remember the first atomic bomb ever used against human beings on this day 64 years ago.

Tens of thousands of people from nearly 60 countries offered their prayers and a moment of silence at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, near „ground zero“ where the bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, leaving thousands dead.

At precisely 8:15 a.m, the time when the U.S. B-29 warplane dropped the bomb, people at the park and throughout the city observed a minute’s silence in memory of those who perished.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said he hoped U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration would take concrete steps towards a „world without nuclear weapons.“

[Tadatoshi Akiba, Hiroshima Mayor]:
„U.S. President Obama said in Prague that as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act in an effort to realize a world without nuclear weapons.“

The mayor has called those seeking abolishment of nuclear weapons „Obama-jority“ citizens, and Hiroshima has launched a campaign to support the U.S. president’s commitment.

In July, Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on a target for nuclear arms cuts, pledging to finalize a treaty by year-end to lower the number of deployed warheads on each side.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso spoke at the memorial, also calling for world peace.

[Taro Aso, Japanese Prime Minister]:
„In order for us not to repeat the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must do all we can to achieve world peace.“

The Hiroshima bomb unleashed a mix of shockwaves, heat rays and radiation.

By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to some 140,000, out of an estimated Hiroshima population of 350,000. Thousands more died of illness and injuries later.

On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the Hiroshima attack, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, bringing to an end the military aggression culminating with its entry into World War Two.

(NTDTV)