Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bomb anniversary as Mayor deplores pursuit of nuclear weapons

Lead

Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing, with the city's mayor using the occasion to sharply criticise major powers for waging wars and to urge them to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui, speaking at the memorial ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, said that "downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one's own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki."

His remarks came as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the memorial for the first time in her role, telling the gathering she would take "a realistic approach" toward achieving a world where nuclear weapons are never used, within the framework of the United Nations' treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. But Takaichi stopped short of explicitly reaffirming Japan's three non-nuclear principles, a departure from the practice of many of her recent predecessors.

Coverage Comparison

Two news organisations provided widely differing emphases in their coverage of the anniversary.

The Hindu, an Indian daily, focused on Mayor Matsui's denunciation of nuclear deterrence and the scale of the commemoration, reporting that about 50,000 people attended the ceremony, including representatives from some 120 countries and regions, such as the United States and Iran. It also noted that Japan's government has rejected survivors' requests to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The South China Morning Post, by contrast, centred its report on Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks and the political context surrounding Japan's nuclear policy. It highlighted that Takaichi failed to explicitly pledge to maintain the non-nuclear principles and that her government is considering rethinking those principles as it prepares to revise key national security documents by the end of the year.

Both outlets described Takaichi as advocating a "realistic" approach, though the South China Morning Post added that she expressed support for nuclear deterrence.

Key Claims

The memorial ceremony, held at 8:15 a.m. local time, the exact time the U.S. B-29 bomber dropped the bomb on the city, included a minute of silence and the ringing of a peace bell. The Hindu reported that about 50,000 people attended, with representatives from 120 countries and regions.

Mayor Matsui's peace declaration carried strong criticism of political leaders who still consider nuclear deterrence a realistic approach, saying they "legitimise violence" and push "a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance." He also called on each citizen to learn lessons from the past and take action.

Prime Minister Takaichi, in her speech at the ceremony and later at a press conference, said Japan would promote "realistic and practical" efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons. But she did not explicitly commit to maintaining the non-nuclear principles, according to the South China Morning Post. At her press conference, she said, "However, it remains unchanged that Japan firmly upholds the three non-nuclear principles in the direction of its policy," while declining to comment on the final wording of the revised security documents, saying it was "premature" to do so.

The Hindu reported that Takaichi's government has supported the idea of nuclear deterrence and may ease the postwar non-nuclear principles when it compiles new security and defence documents later this year.

The South China Morning Post noted that recent prime ministers, including Shigeru Ishiba and Fumio Kishida, mentioned the non-nuclear principles in their speeches at the annual ceremonies, but that the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi's political mentor, refrained from referring to them in his 2015 address—the only time he omitted them during his second stint as prime minister.

Both sources reported that Takaichi attended the memorial for the first time as prime minister.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which Japan has not signed, is a binding international agreement to ban nuclear weapons, and survivors of the bombings have repeatedly asked the government to join it, a request that The Hindu reported has been rejected.

Perspectives

Mayor Kazumi Matsui: Urged major powers to stop waging wars and to stop justifying nuclear weapons possession as deterrence, warning that such an approach risks "cycles of violent retaliation" that could lead to another Hiroshima or Nagasaki. He called on citizens to learn from the past and take action.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi: Said Japan would take a "realistic approach" toward a world without nuclear weapons, but did not explicitly commit to maintaining the non-nuclear principles. She stated that the government firmly upholds the principles in the direction of its policy, while acknowledging that the security documents were under review.