Nagasaki memorial 70 years after WWII atomic bombing amid defence bill row

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for a nuclear weapons-free Japan as he marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Mr Abe had come under criticism for not making the same pledge on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing last week, as controversy over a government defence bill rages in the country. Representatives from 75 countries were among those gathered for the memorial. As a bell tolled, they observed a minute of silence at 11.02 am, the time when a US B-29 plane dropped the atomic bomb on 9 August 1945. Japan surrendered to the Allies days later.

As the only nation in the world to have suffered a war-time nuclear attack, I have renewed my resolve to play a leading role in pursuing a world without nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

The bombing exposed thousands more to sickness and radiation, and some, who are still alive, still bear the scars of the attack. Among them is 86-year-old Sumiteru Taniguchi, who has become a campaigner against nuclear weapons and has shown his traumatic injuries as part of his campaign. Mr Abe’s security bills have run into still public opposition. The legislation would ease constitutional limits that restrict the military to self-defence, allowing Japanese forces to defend allies in limited circumstances. The government says the legislation is needed to increase Japan’s deterrence capabilities in the face of growing threats in the region, but some Nagasaki bomb survivors have said they fear it “will lead to war”.

Politics Nagasaki