This year also, the newly dead were reported at the ceremonies at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on 6 and 9 August, respectively. In the case of the former, the number of confirmed dead because of the Atomic Bomb in the past year was 5, 393, bringing the total to 314, 118. For Nagasaki, the figures were 3,511 and 179, 226. We are again impressed that almost half a million have passed away because of just a couple of bombs. The present number of survivors are 154, 859, and their average age is 82.
In their speeches at the ceremonies, known as the Declaration for Peace, both the Mayors of the two cities have described the cruelties caused by the bombs. At the same time both have called our attention to the year-old Non-nuclear weapons Treaty, and the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 having been conferred on the International Campaign for the Abolition of the Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Both have expressed their pleasure that the situation in the Korean Peninsula has been changing.
Mr. Matsui of Hiroshima said that the idea of nuclear deterrence and nuclear umbrella is to take pride in the destructive capabilities of the nuclear weapons and to maintain the status quo. Mr. Taue from Nagasaki said that the leaders of the nuclear powers and those who depend on the umbrella should remember that the United Nations in its first General Assembly resolution decided to abolish nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. He must have been sorry that Mr. Onaga, Governor of Okinawa and a stalwart against the construction of the new US Airbase there had passed away the previous day.
We are happy that Mr. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, participated in the ceremony at Nagasaki last week. Earlier he had sent a message to Hiroshima. Also he had a very informal talk with some of the atomic bomb survivors at Nagasaki. Several years ago his predecessor, Mr. Ban, had visited Hiroshima and participated in the ceremony. Mr. Guterres also talked about the above mentioned Treaty. He concluded his address by saying that let us make Nagasaki the last place of such terrible destruction.
In their speeches at the ceremonies, known as the Declaration for Peace, both the Mayors of the two cities have described the cruelties caused by the bombs. At the same time both have called our attention to the year-old Non-nuclear weapons Treaty, and the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 having been conferred on the International Campaign for the Abolition of the Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Both have expressed their pleasure that the situation in the Korean Peninsula has been changing.
Mr. Matsui of Hiroshima said that the idea of nuclear deterrence and nuclear umbrella is to take pride in the destructive capabilities of the nuclear weapons and to maintain the status quo. Mr. Taue from Nagasaki said that the leaders of the nuclear powers and those who depend on the umbrella should remember that the United Nations in its first General Assembly resolution decided to abolish nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. He must have been sorry that Mr. Onaga, Governor of Okinawa and a stalwart against the construction of the new US Airbase there had passed away the previous day.
We are happy that Mr. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, participated in the ceremony at Nagasaki last week. Earlier he had sent a message to Hiroshima. Also he had a very informal talk with some of the atomic bomb survivors at Nagasaki. Several years ago his predecessor, Mr. Ban, had visited Hiroshima and participated in the ceremony. Mr. Guterres also talked about the above mentioned Treaty. He concluded his address by saying that let us make Nagasaki the last place of such terrible destruction.
