Hiroshima Mayor Calls for Dialogue Instead of Nuclear Possession

   Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged policymakers across the world to pursue dialogue for security instead of possessing nuclear weapons in an annual peace declaration Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.
   "Policymakers in some countries even accept the idea that 'nuclear weapons are essential for national defense,'" Matsui said in an annual peace ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. "Take to heart the peace-loving spirit of Hiroshima, then begin immediately discussing a security framework based on trust through dialogue."
   The ceremony was attended by some 55,000 people including hibakusha atomic bomb survivors, bereaved families and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as well as representatives of 120 countries and regions and the European Union.
   China and Russia did not send representatives to the ceremony. Taiwan and Palestine, both of which are not recognized by Japan as sovereign states, participated for the first time.
   As Hiroshima's Peace Bell rang at 8:15 a.m., the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on Aug. 6, 1945, participants offered a minute of silent prayer.

(2025/08/06-10:55)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.