Nagasaki has marked the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing with a memorial ceremony and renewed calls for international efforts towards nuclear disarmament.
At 11.02am local time, a moment of silence was observed to remember the victims of the 9 August 1945 bombing, when the US dropped the plutonium bomb codenamed “Fat Man”.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said nuclear weapons were incompatible with humanity and warned of rising risks amid conflicts involving nuclear powers.
- More than 12,000 nuclear warheads remain worldwide.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed Japan’s three non-nuclear principles.
- Japan is seeking “realistic and practical” efforts towards a nuclear-free world.
- The commemoration comes amid debate over whether Japan should reconsider its nuclear policy.
The commemoration also comes months after the New START treaty between the United States and Russia expired on 5 February 2026. The agreement had imposed legally binding limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons and provided verification measures. Its expiry has left Washington and Moscow without a bilateral treaty placing comparable limits on their arsenals, adding to concerns over the future of nuclear arms control.
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
