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| Hiroshima: Officials attend 80th anniversary of atomic bombing | Hiroshima: Officials attend 80th anniversary of atomic bombing |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba (second from right) attended the ceremony in Hiroshima, along with representatives from around the world | Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba (second from right) attended the ceremony in Hiroshima, along with representatives from around the world |
| A silent prayer was held in Japan on Wednesday morning as it marked 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. | A silent prayer was held in Japan on Wednesday morning as it marked 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. |
| Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba attended the ceremony on Wednesday, along with officials from around the world and the city's mayor Kazumi Matsui. | |
| Matsui warned of a global "accelerating trend toward military build-up... [and] the idea that nuclear weapons are essential for national defence", saying this was a "flagrant disregard [of] the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history". | |
| World War Two ended with Japan's surrender after the dropping of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. | |
| The bombs killed more than 200,000 people - some from the immediate blast and others from radiation sickness and burns. | The bombs killed more than 200,000 people - some from the immediate blast and others from radiation sickness and burns. |
| The legacy of the weapons continues to haunt survivors today. | The legacy of the weapons continues to haunt survivors today. |
| "My father was badly burned and blinded by the blast. His skin was hanging from his body - he couldn't even hold my hand," Hiroshima survivor Shingo Naito told the BBC. He was six years old when the bomb struck his city, killing his father and two younger siblings. | "My father was badly burned and blinded by the blast. His skin was hanging from his body - he couldn't even hold my hand," Hiroshima survivor Shingo Naito told the BBC. He was six years old when the bomb struck his city, killing his father and two younger siblings. |
| Mr Naito has been sharing his story with a group of students in Hiroshima, who are turning his memories of the tragedy into art. | Mr Naito has been sharing his story with a group of students in Hiroshima, who are turning his memories of the tragedy into art. |
| Watch: 'Hiroshima survivor stories were painful to draw' | |
| In 2024, Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. | In 2024, Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. |
| In a speech on Wednesday, mayor Matsui said that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, was "on the brink of dysfunctionality". | |
| He also called on the Japanese government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons - an international agreement banning nuclear weapons that came into force in 2021. | He also called on the Japanese government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons - an international agreement banning nuclear weapons that came into force in 2021. |
| The legacy of the atomic bomb lingers in Japan today | |
| More than 70 countries have ratified the treaty, but nuclear powers like the US and Russia have opposed it, pointing to the deterrence function of nuclear arsenals. | More than 70 countries have ratified the treaty, but nuclear powers like the US and Russia have opposed it, pointing to the deterrence function of nuclear arsenals. |
| Japan has also rejected such a ban, arguing that its security is enhanced by US nuclear weapons. | Japan has also rejected such a ban, arguing that its security is enhanced by US nuclear weapons. |
| The nuclear issue is a divisive one in Japan. On the streets leading up to the Peace Memorial Park, there were small protests calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. | The nuclear issue is a divisive one in Japan. On the streets leading up to the Peace Memorial Park, there were small protests calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. |
| Satoshi Tanaka, another atomic bomb survivor who suffered multiple cancers from radiation exposure, said that seeing the bloodshed in Gaza and Ukraine today conjures up his own suffering. | Satoshi Tanaka, another atomic bomb survivor who suffered multiple cancers from radiation exposure, said that seeing the bloodshed in Gaza and Ukraine today conjures up his own suffering. |
| "Seeing the mountains of rubble, the destroyed cities, the children and women fleeing in panic, it all brings back memories of what I went through," he told the BBC. "We are living alongside nuclear weapons that could wipe out humanity multiple times over." | "Seeing the mountains of rubble, the destroyed cities, the children and women fleeing in panic, it all brings back memories of what I went through," he told the BBC. "We are living alongside nuclear weapons that could wipe out humanity multiple times over." |
| "The most urgent priority is to push the leaders of nuclear-armed countries. The people of the world must become even more outraged, raise their voices louder, and take massive action." | "The most urgent priority is to push the leaders of nuclear-armed countries. The people of the world must become even more outraged, raise their voices louder, and take massive action." |