Hiroshima marks 79 years since atomic bombing, as nuclear war fears rise

Children pray in front of the Cenotaph for victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Tuesday, the 79th anniversary of the nuclear attack. | JIJI

by KATHLEEN BENOZA
August 6, 2024

Raging conflicts across the globe are “reinforcing the public assumption” that military force — and nuclear deterrence — are needed to solve global issues, a view Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui rejected Tuesday in a speech at a ceremony marking 79 years since Hiroshima was devastated by an atomic bomb.

Citing former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s push to end the Cold War, Matsui stressed the need to “not be resigned to pessimism” amid conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, adding that the world must take collective action and show that dialogue can overcome conflict.

“Our unity will move leaders now relying on nuclear deterrence to shift their policies,” he said. “We can make that happen.”