Online Report : On the 80th anniversary of atomic bombing of Nagasaki, city officials and peace advocates issued a grave warning about the increasing threat of nuclear war, urging the global community to act before history repeats itself.

During a memorial ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park on Saturday, Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivered the annual Peace Declaration, calling the current global climate an "existential crisis" for humanity.

He warned that the world is caught in a “vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation” and pressed world leaders to take real, measurable steps toward eliminating nuclear weapons.

Suzuki praised the work of Nihon Hidankyo, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, for its decades of peace activism.

Referencing the group’s global efforts, he asked, “Is it not this `global citizen` perspective that will serve as the driving force behind stitching back together our fragmented world?”

At precisely 11:02 AM; the moment US dropped the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb on Nagasaki in 1945, the city observed a moment of silence. The bombing came just three days after the Hiroshima attack and killed an estimated 74,000 people by end of that year.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, attending the ceremony, reiterated Japan’s non-nuclear principles; not possessing, producing, or allowing nuclear weapons.

He pledged Japan`s commitment to a nuclear-free world but notably omitted mention of the 2021 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which Japan has not joined despite mounting pressure.

Roughly 2,600 people, including diplomats from 94 countries and the European Union, attended the event.

Unlike last year, when controversy emerged over Israel’s absence, all countries with diplomatic ties to Japan were invited.

Founded in Nagasaki in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo has long campaigned for a nuclear-free world, largely through the testimonies of survivors.

Mayor Suzuki recalled the emotional 1982 UN speech by survivor Senji Yamaguchi, who displayed his burn scars while pleading, "No more hibakusha"; a term for atomic bomb victims.

However, that “nuclear taboo” established by survivors is now under strain.

Ongoing geopolitical tensions; such as Russia’s nuclear threats amid the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and rising reliance on nuclear deterrence, have reignited fears of nuclear escalation.

Japan continues to advocate for disarmament while remaining under the US nuclear umbrella due to regional threats from China and North Korea.

In a message read on his behalf, UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed calls for disarmament, stressing that “peace and security cannot be achieved through an arms race.” He urged renewed focus on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, reinforced by the nuclear ban treaty.

Despite intermittent rain, survivors and activists gathered to honour victims at various memorials.

Among them was 83-year-old Fumi Takeshita, who has survived multiple cancers since the bombing. “These are not ordinary weapons,” she said. “They come with radiation, and once it enters your body, it never leaves.”

In a powerful symbol of resilience and remembrance, the twin bells of Urakami Cathedral rang together for the first time since the bombing. One bell survived the blast, while the other was recently restored in a project led by James Nolan Jr., the grandson of a Manhattan Project physician.

The bombing of Nagasaki remains one of the deadliest moments in human history.

Japan surrendered just six days later on August 15, 1945, bringing World War II to an end. As the city marked this solemn milestone, its message was clear: Never again.