The Mayor of the Japanese city of Hiroshima has made an open call for global leaders to collectively eliminate nuclear weapons, with the same level of effort implemented in handling the pandemic.
The global call took place today, as Hiroshima marked the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack.
Mayor Kazumi Matsui advised leaders to pledge to the disarmament of nuclear weapons, with the same effort that they put into dealing with the “threat to humanity,” that is Covid-19.
“Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total annihilation that we can certainly end, if all nations work together,” Matsui said.
He added: “No sustainable society is possible with these weapons continually poised for indiscriminate slaughter.”
The first atomic bombing in Hiroshima, was dropped by the U.S. on August 6th 1945, leading to the deaths of 140,000 people and major devastation within the city. Another bomb was dropped just three days later in Nagasaki, causing the deaths of 70,000 people.
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The global Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was implemented on January 21st this year. Although it has been endorsed by over 50 countries, the treaty has not been sanctioned by the U.S. as well as other nuclear power countries and Japan.
The Mayor renewed his request that his government sign and approve the treaty “immediately”, to satisfy the wishes of those who survived the atomic bombing. Matsui also called for the country to facilitate “productive mediation between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states.”
However, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who was present at the anniversary ceremony, did not discuss the treaty but did emphasize the necessity of a “realistic” tactic that will unite the nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states. Suga stated in a news conference that he does not intend to sign the treaty.
“The treaty lacks support not only from the nuclear weapons states including the United States but also from many countries that do not possess nuclear arms,” Suga said.
He added: “What’s appropriate is to seek a passage to realistically promote the nuclear disarmament.”
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com.— In the Featured Photo: Bridge in Hiroshima, Japan. Featured Photo Credit: Redd
