Nagasaki marks A-bombing / Britain, France attend 65th anniversary, but U.S. skips event

The Yomiuri Shimbun

NAGASAKI--Nagasaki observed the 65th anniversary Monday of the city's atomic bombing by the United States with representatives from a record 32 countries attending, including those from the nuclear-armed nations Britain and France, but without a U.S. representative.

Envoys from Britain and France, as well as a representative from Israel, a nation widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, participated in the annual event for the first time.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on Friday, the first U.S. representative to attend the event. Roos cited schedule conflicts as the reason for not attending the Nagasaki ceremony, the U.S. Embassy said. The ambassador reportedly called Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, telling him he hopes to someday visit Nagasaki Peace Park and other places in the city.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano was present at the event at the peace park, the first time an IAEA director general has attended the ceremony.

Representatives from nuclear-armed Russia and Pakistan also attended.

Survivors of the bombing, bereaved family members of those who perished and guests, including Amano, offered flowers during the ceremony attended by about 6,000 people overall. At 11:02 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, a minute of silence was observed after the Bell of Nagasaki was rung.

Taue, in his Nagasaki Peace Declaration, urged the world to ensure Nagasaki will be the last place to suffer a nuclear attack.

He said in the peace declaration: "We call upon the leaders of the nuclear weapons states never to trample on humanity's efforts for 'a world without nuclear weapons'...The lack of sincere commitment from the nuclear weapons states toward nuclear disarmament could provoke antipathy and lead to the emergence of new nuclear weapons states, increasing the threat of nuclear proliferation around the world."

Taue was referring to Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, who in May rejected a proposal from the chairman of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference to take concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament with a specified timeline.

"As citizens of a city that has experienced atomic bombing, we strongly support the Nuclear Weapons Convention, which equally prohibits all countries from conducting any activities involving nuclear weapons, such as their production, possession and use," Taue said in the declaration.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has urged U.N. member countries to consider the convention.

Taue criticized the government for negotiating with India on a nuclear agreement. India possesses nuclear weapons but has not signed the NPT.

"This means that a nation that has suffered atomic bombings itself is now severely weakening the NPT regime, which is beyond intolerable," he said.

"The first thing the Japanese government should do is to enact the three nonnuclear principles into law in order to restore the trust of the Japanese people. Also, the government should seek the denuclearization of Japan, South Korea and North Korea in a bid to realize security that does not rely upon a nuclear umbrella."

The three nonnuclear principles are the government's policy of not possessing, not producing and not allowing entry of nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said to world leaders in his speech Monday the importance of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. He promised that Japan will firmly maintain the three nonnuclear principles. Kan said he will work to see testimonials by atomic bomb survivors translated into major world languages.

During the ceremony, three volumes listing 3,114 atomic bomb survivors who had died or were confirmed dead over the past year were placed in the black marble vault in front of the Peace Statue at the park. It now has 153 volumes listing 152,276 people.

The memorial event was opened by the Hibakusha Utau-kai Himawari, a choir whose members are atomic bomb survivors. The group sang "Mo Nido-to" (Never Again), the first time the song has been performed at the ceremony.