Nagasaki Mayor Warns of Nuclear War, 80 Years After A-Bomb

By Irene Wang and Issei Kato, for Reuters

August 9, 2025 — In a solemn ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, thousands gathered at the Peace Park to honor the victims and reflect on the horrors of nuclear warfare. Mayor Shiro Suzuki issued a stark warning: the world is once again on the brink of nuclear conflict, and the time to act is running out.

On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped the plutonium-239 bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, instantly killing an estimated 27,000 of the city’s 200,000 residents. By the end of 1945, the death toll from radiation exposure had reached about 70,000. This devastation, which occurred just three days after the Hiroshima bombing, marked the end of World War II and the beginning of the nuclear age.

During the ceremony, a moment of silence was observed at 11:02 a.m., the exact time the bomb exploded. Mayor Suzuki emphasized the urgency of global cooperation to prevent future nuclear disasters, calling for a return to the principles of the United Nations Charter and a renewed commitment to nuclear disarmament.

“This is a crisis of human survival that is closing in on each and every one of us,” Suzuki said to an audience of approximately 2,700 people. He recounted the harrowing words of a survivor: “Around me were people whose eyeballs had popped out... Bodies were strewn about like stones.”

“Is it not this ‘global citizen’ perspective that will serve as the driving force behind stitching back together our fragmented world?” Suzuki asked, calling for a future based on mutual understanding and solidarity.

The event drew representatives from 95 countries, including nuclear powers such as the United States and Russia, as well as Israel, which neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons. Younger generations, like 14-year-old Daiji Kawanaka from Osaka, echoed the mayor’s message, emphasizing the importance of peace and the need for action.

“I truly believe a tragedy like this must never be repeated,” Kawanaka told Reuters. “We can only pledge to take the initiative ourselves in making a step toward peace.”

The legacy of the A-bomb survivors, known as “hibakusha,” continues to shape global efforts toward nuclear disarmament. With their numbers now below 100,000 for the first time, their voices remain a powerful reminder of the human cost of nuclear weapons.

Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, has committed to nuclear disarmament but has not signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The country’s leading organization of A-bomb survivors, Nihon Hidankyo, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 for its advocacy of a nuclear-free world.

As the world faces growing geopolitical tensions and the threat of nuclear escalation, the voices from Nagasaki continue to resonate, urging leaders to choose peace over destruction.