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

Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bomb anniversary as mayor deplores the pursuit of nuclear weapons 0 seconds of 1 minute, 6 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Prime minister visits quake-hit southern Japan as cleanup begins in intense heat 01:14 00:00 01:06 01:06 More Videos 01:14 Prime minister visits quake-hit southern Japan as cleanup begins in intense heat 01:18 Cori Bush says 'I don't have to have a title to fight for my people' after loss to Wesley Bell 00:46 'Every car has its own character': Retro and prototype cars festival at Moscow's VDNKh 01:27 US dollar weakens sharply against the Japanese yen after officials intervene in markets 01:33 Trump says Pirro 'choked' and 'folded like an umbrella' 01:09 Canada's Carney says he has no confidence in FIFA's Infantino 00:46 UEFA declares no confidence in FIFA President over failed World Cup equity plan 02:53 Fariba loved studying, until the Taliban denied her access to school, with devastating consequences Close 1 of 6 | A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at the exact time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. 2 of 6 | Visitors pray in front of the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing ahead of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Mizuki Sakai/Kyodo News via AP) 3 of 6 | Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her speech during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP) 4 of 6 | Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui reads a statement during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP) 5 of 6 | Visitors pray in front of the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing ahead of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Mizuki Sakai/Kyodo News via AP) 6 of 6 | Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her speech during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP) By MARI YAMAGUCHI Updated 5:53 AM MESZ, August 6, 2026 Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with its mayor criticizing major powers for waging wars and urging them to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a method of deterrence. “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,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui said. Too many political leaders still consider nuclear deterrence a realistic approach and legitimize violence, which “simply pushes a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance,” Matsui said in his peace declaration at the ceremony at the Hiroshima-peace-memorial-park" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="179392" data-entity-type="location">Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. He also called on each citizen to learn lessons from the past and take action. About 50,000 people, including representatives from some 120 countries and regions including the United States and Iran, were to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who attended the memorial for the first time as prime minister, said she will 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. Japan says combat drones key to adapting to new warfare as regional tensions rise 4 MIN READ Japan enacts law to punish national flag vandals. Opponents say it’s a threat to free speech 2 MIN READ Quake survivors in southwestern Japan sleep in cars in sweltering heat as death toll rises to 34 2 MIN READ This year’s ceremony comes at a time of looming speculation that Takaichi’s hawkish government, which supports the idea of nuclear deterrence, may ease Japan’s postwar three non-nuclear principles when it compiles new security and defense documents later this year. Takaichi has advocated a review of the principles for a possibility of dropping the third one — of not permitting nuclear weapons to be brought into the country. Takaichi said Japan has maintained its postwar three non-nuclear principles, but fell short of expressing commitment for sticking with that policy into the future. Survivors have expressed frustration and worry over growing support for the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence by the international community, including Japan. Japan is under the protection of U.S. nuclear umbrella and has repeatedly sought Washington’s reassurance for its commitment and a stronger protection. Because of that, Japan’s government has rejected the survivors’ request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons or attend its meetings as observers. The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. The number of survivors has fallen to 91,105, about a quarter of the original number, with their average age exceeding 86. Survivors worry about fading memories, as the youngest of the survivors were too young to clearly recall the attack. MARI YAMAGUCHI Yamaguchi is based in Tokyo and covers Japanese politics, security, nuclear energy and social issues for The Associated Press. twitter mailto