Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Nagasaki Mayor SUZUKI Shiro on Tuesday gave a speech in which he reminded the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Nagasaki was attacked with an atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, with around 75,000 people losing their lives. Suzuki noted that tense international atmosphere the world faces with conflicts involving nuclear powers in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“As long as we have nuclear weapons, there is always a risk,” Suzuki stated. “It is important for us to convey the reality of the atomic bombing and what really happened under the mushroom cloud.”

“It is critical that Japan become a leader in promoting and propelling discussion on the abolition of nuclear weapons. The path towards nuclear disarmament is getting tougher, and there is a risk that nuclear weapons could be used again, perhaps due to human error, some human misjudgment, or even a terrorist attack.”

Suzuki mentioned how young people are leading the way in promoting nuclear disarmament as actual survivors of the atomic bomb attack die out. Those who have died, Suzuki said, are the “silent witnesses” to what happened in 1945 and the horrors of nuclear weapons.

Like Hiroshima, which was attacked three days before Nagasaki, the city has a museum dedicated to the horrors of the atomic bombing. This history, Suzuki said, must be handed down to future generations who have no experience of a nuclear attack.