It has been 76 years since the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in 9 days.
Mayor Taue of Nagasaki City requested the government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to relieve "hibakusha" in the Peace Memorial Ceremony.
The Peace Memorial Ceremony held at the Peace Park in Nagasaki City was attended by A-bomb survivors, bereaved families, Prime Minister Suga, and representatives from 63 countries.
In order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the ceremony was reduced in scale for the second consecutive year, and about 500 people attended, which is about 10% of the average year.
At the ceremony, a list of 189,163 A-bomb survivors, including the names of 3202 people who died in the past year, was added.
Then, at 11:02 am when the atomic bomb burst, he offered a silent prayer.
Mayor Tagami of Nagasaki City mentioned the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which came into effect in January in the Peace Declaration, and bans the development, manufacture, and use of nuclear weapons. The process of realizing a world without nuclear weapons is about to begin. Because Japan is the most familiar with the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, please join the 1st Conference of the Parties as an observer and find a way to foster a nuclear weapons ban treaty. We request that the treaty be signed and ratified as soon as possible. "
On top of that, Mayor Taue sought relief for "experienced survivors" who were outside the areas recognized by the government as survivors, in addition to enhancing support as the survivors were aging.
Nobuko Oka, who helped the A-bomb survivors as a nursing student while suffering her own injuries, said on behalf of the A-bomb survivors, "A pledge to peace," "throwing the bodies like stacking square timbers on the bed of a large truck. Some of the bodies were taken to the dissection room, and I tried to escape from the body, which was full of injuries from the chest to the abdomen. We have worked hard to return. We, the A-bomb survivors, pledge to continue talking as long as we live and to appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and peace. "
On the other hand, Prime Minister Suga said, "As the only country exposed to the war, it is Japan's unchanging mission to steadily move forward step by step in the efforts of the international community toward the realization of a" world without nuclear weapons. " The government will find concrete measures that each country can work on together by making use of the results of the discussions on the "Sages' Conference" on nuclear disarmament in order to achieve meaningful results at the next NPT = Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Treaty Operation Review Conference. We will continue to make efforts persistently. "