TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Japan condemns Russia nuclear threat on Hiroshima anniversary

Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the two Japanese cities days before the end of World War II.

Kyoko Hasegawa (The Jakarta Post)
Agence France-Presse/Tokyo 
Mon, August 7, 2023 Published on Aug. 7, 2023 Published on 2023-08-07T06:22:26+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

J

apan's prime minister hit out at Russian threats to use nuclear weapons as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Sunday.

Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the two Japanese cities days before the end of World War II.

"Japan, as the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings in war, will continue efforts toward a nuclear-free world," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a ceremony in Hiroshima.

"The path toward it is becoming increasingly difficult because of deepening divisions in the international community over nuclear disarmament and Russia's nuclear threat," he said.

"Given this situation, it is all the more important to bring back international momentum toward realization of a nuclear-free world," he said.

"Devastation brought to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear weapons can never be repeated," said Kishida, whose family comes from Hiroshima.

Kishida's comments echoed those of United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who issued a statement on the Hiroshima anniversary saying that "some countries are recklessly rattling the nuclear saber once again, threatening to use these tools of annihilation."

"In the face of these threats, the global community must speak as one. Any use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable," Guterres said.

At the ceremony, thousands of people, survivors, relatives and foreign dignitaries from a record 111 countries, prayed for those killed or wounded in the bombing and called for world peace.

Russia and Belarus were not invited to the ceremony for the second straight year because of the Ukraine crisis.

Participants, many dressed in black, offered a silent prayer at 8:15 am when the first nuclear weapon used in wartime was dropped. 

Kishida hosted the Group of Seven summit in the city earlier this year.

Kishida has tried to move nuclear disarmament up the global agenda, taking leaders of wealthy democracies to Hiroshima's peace park memorials and museum.

However, there is little appetite to reduce stockpiles with Russia repeatedly issuing thinly veiled warnings that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, as well as repeated North Korean missile tests and stalling efforts toward non-proliferation.

Earlier this month, more than 100 medical journals across the world issued a rare joint call for urgent action to eliminate nuclear weapons, warning that the threat of nuclear catastrophe was "great and growing." 

The anniversary follows the US release of blockbuster Oppenheimer, a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the creators of atomic weapons.

No release date has been announced for Japan and there is speculation it may not show in cinemas at all.

"Seventy-eight years went by and people are starting to forget, so it’s a good moment to make a movie and remind us about what happened," Ryo Kento, a student, told AFP in Tokyo ahead of the Hiroshima anniversary.

Last week, Japanese social media users expressed outrage after internet memes referencing the films Barbie and Oppenheimer were circulated using the hashtag #Barbenheimer.

Memes shared on social media combined images from both, with one showing a cheering Barbie, a wildly popular children's doll, on the shoulders of Oppenheimer, against the backdrop of an apocalyptic blast. 

Warner Bros. Japan, the local distributor of Barbie, later apologized for appearing to back the memes' circulation. 

"As many died, I don’t think it’s something to be made fun of," Kento said.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.