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Nagasaki Marks Sixtieth Anniversary of Atomic Bombing

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Text of report by May Masangkay, carried in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo; all times local

Nagasaki, 9 August: Nagasaki on Tuesday [9 August] observed the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city by the United States, with Mayor Itcho Ito criticizing nuclear powers, especially the United States, that rely on nuclear deterrence for security, while making an appeal to its citizens to reconsider such an option.

"The nuclear weapons states, and the United States of America in particular, have ignored their international commitments, and have made no change in their unyielding stance on nuclear deterrence. We strongly resent the trampling of the hopes of people worldwide," Ito said in reading an annual peace declaration in a ceremony at the Peace Park.

Ito's remarks were a criticism of the breakdown in talks of the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] in May in New York that ended without any substantive progress.

While criticizing the US government, Ito made an appeal to the US public, saying, "We understand your anger and anxiety over the memories of the horror of the 11 September terrorist attacks. Yet, is your security actually enhanced by your government's policies of maintaining 10,000 nuclear weapons, of carrying out repeated subcritical nuclear tests, and of pursuing the development of new 'mini' nuclear weapons?" Under the scorching sun, about 6,000 atomic- bomb survivors, bereaved families and dignitaries, including a Russian representative for the first time, attended the annual ceremony at the packed Peace Park near ground zero.

The almost one-hour ceremony started at 10:40 a.m., after which a moment of silence and prayer was observed at the sound of a bell at 11:02 a.m., the time the atomic bomb exploded above the city at an altitude of 500 meters.

In the Peace Declaration, the mayor also urged the Japanese government to lead efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, break away from the "nuclear umbrella" of the United States and give greater aid to atomic-bomb survivors, including those who live abroad.

As of March, there were 266,598 survivors, including those living abroad, according to the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry. Of the total, 49,201 live in Nagasaki, their average age being 72.5.

Several atomic-bomb survivors who were invited by the city to attend the ceremony urged the Japanese government to ease their plight as soon as possible.

An atomic-bomb survivor now based in the United States, 64-year- old Daizo Honda, said many of the survivors abroad cannot come to Japan because they are too sick or old to do so. "The Japanese government must exert more efforts for them," he said.

Honda was among nine overseas atomic-bomb survivors from South Korea, Brazil and the United States attending the ceremony, including eight officially invited by the city. It was the first time in 10 years that the city invited overseas survivors.

At the memorial ceremony, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gave a speech similar to the one he gave in Hiroshima, promising to make "sincere efforts" in assisting survivors living abroad.

Koizumi also promised in his address to "abide by (Japan's) war- renouncing constitution and stick to the principle" of not possessing, manufacturing or allowing nuclear arms within Japan's borders.

The ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings came amid growing fears among atomic-bomb survivors that interest in the bombings or the movement for nuclear abolition is waning in light of the decreasing number of survivors to deliver firsthand experiences.

Reaffirming survivors' mission for nuclear abolition, Fumie Sakamoto, a 74-year-old survivor, read a statement known as the "pledge for peace", vowing to work for nuclear abolition despite the difficult odds, citing plans to develop nuclear weapons with new capabilities.

"We have devoted our lives to demanding that there never be A- bomb victims again, but why are our voices not heard?" said Sakamoto, who was a junior high school student at the time of the bombing.

Dressed in a purple kimono, Sakamoto pledged that she will "never give up" and "continue to tirelessly demand that Nagasaki be the last A-bomb site as long as I live".

Nagasaki invited ambassadors from 11 countries to the ceremony, including the five major nuclear powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - and two other declared nuclear weapons states - India and Pakistan.

But only delegates from Russia and Ukraine came, with Mikhail Galuzin, charge d'affaires ad interim at the Russian Embassy in Japan, attending on behalf of the Russian ambassador, who is not in the country. It was the first time Russia was represented at the Nagasaki memorial ceremony.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Galuzin said, "I was reminded anew of how important nonproliferation, reduction and abolition of nuclear weapons are to international society."

Referring to Russia's status as a nuclear weapon state as a product of historical circumstances during the Soviet-era, Galuzin said, "We have and will continue to work towards reducing nuclear weapons in compliance with the NPT."

This year, the names of 2,748 more people recognized as atomic- bomb victims by the city since 9 August last year were added to the list of casualties, bringing the number of Nagasaki victims to 137,339.

Other commemorative events were held the same day in the city, including at the reconstructed Urakami Cathedral, which is among symbols of the Nagasaki bombing.

The original cathedral, located near the hypocentre, was destroyed by the blast. Two priests and 30 parishioners were killed instantly.

Also at the cathedral, an unveiling ceremony was held for a small chapel that enshrines the only part that remains of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that was destroyed in the atomic bombing.

Near the hypocentre, a memorial service was held for about 10,000 Korean atomic-bomb victims in Nagasaki, with about 250 people attending.

According to a Japanese support group known as the Nagasaki Association to Protect Human Rights of Koreans, some 20,000 Koreans were exposed to the bomb blast, with more than half killed instantly. The group helped build the small monument in 1979 through donations.

The atomic bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August and its aftereffects killed an estimated 70,000 people by the end of 1945. The Hiroshima bomb, dropped three days earlier, claimed the lives of 140,000 people. The end of World War II in the Pacific theatre came on 15 August that year.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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