Hiroshima, 80 years later: “ real change ” necessary to end the existential nuclear threat

While the city has been rebuilt, the nuclear conflict remains a global threat, said Izumi Nakamitsu, a high UN representative for disarmament affairs Remarks at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

It was the only structure left standing near the bomb hypochent, which marked the first use of an atomic weapon at war.

Survivors, family members and representatives of international organizations and 120 countries were among around 55,000 people who attended the ceremony, according to the office of the Japanese Prime Minister.

Remember the dead, honoring the survivors

“On this 80th anniversary, we remember those who perished. We stick to families who carry their memory“Said Ms. Nakattisu, transmitting a message on behalf of the UN Secretary General António Guterres.

She paid tribute to hibakusha – The term for those who survived Hiroshima and atomic bombing of Nagasaki three days later – “whose voices became a Moral for peace. “”

“While their number becomes smaller each year, their testimony-and their eternal message of peace-will never leave us,” she said.

Rebuild hope, share vision

At a single instant on August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was reduced to ruins, tens of thousands of people were killed, “and humanity crossed a threshold from which he could not have returned”.

The next day, many thought that the city would never recover and that nothing would grow, she said, but the population has proven the opposite.

“You, the inhabitants of Hiroshima, have not simply rebuilt a city,” she said. “You have rebuilt hope. You have fed a vision of a world without nuclear weapons. And you have shared this vision with the world.

Listen to our podcast with the American Japanese author Kathleen Burkinhaw whose novel about a young Hibakusha “The Last Cherry Blossom” was inspired by the experience of his mother.

Duty to protect

Ms. Nakamitsu noted that 2025 also marks 80 years since the UN Foundation. In May, plants from the seeds of a kakis that survived the attack were planted at the New York headquarters.

“These are more than symbols of survival,” she said. “These are living will to the strength of the human mind – and our common duty to protect future generations against horrors of nuclear annihilation.”

In addition, the anniversary of the UN is a reminder of the reason why it was created in the first place – to prevent war, maintain human dignity and ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated.

“However, today, the risk of nuclear conflict increases,” she warned. “Confidence is crumbling. The geopolitical divisions widen. And the very weapons that brought such devastation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki are again treated as coercion tools. ”

During the ceremony, the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, warned against the growing acceptance of nuclear weapons, according to the media. He cited conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as examples.

However, signs of hope have emerged, according to the head of the United Nations disarmament.

Abolish nuclear weapons

Last October, the Japanese anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo-which represents the survivors of the attacks-received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. It came only a few weeks after the meeting of countries at the UN adopted the Pact for the futureRecommending a world without nuclear weapons.

Ms. Nakamitsu insisted that “Commitments must lead to real change by strengthening the global disarmament regime -in particular, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, supplemented by the momentum created by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. »»

She urged countries to draw the strength from both the resilience of Hiroshima and the wisdom of thehibakusha.

“Let’s work to eradicate the threat of nuclear weapons by eradicating the weapons themselves,” she said.

“And keep our commitment to thehibakushaAnd make sure that their testimony and their message of peace are postponed. Remembering the past is to protect and build peace today – and in the future. »»