TOKYO, JAPAN – The 78th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima was observed on Sunday, with the mayor of Hiroshima calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and labeling the idea of nuclear deterrence as “folly” among the Group of Seven leaders.

The anniversary of the first nuclear assault is being observed on the same day that Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
Coincidentally, this news arrives as the biopic “Oppenheimer,” which details the development of the atomic bomb, becomes a commercial success in the United States. Some viewers have complained that the film downplays the significance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 9 and 11, 1945.
There has been no word yet on when the film will open in Japan.
The distributor of the Japanese hit film “Barbie,” which opened the same day as “Oppenheimer,” capitalized on “Barbenheimer” memes created by fans that paired the film’s stars with pictures of nuclear explosions, sparking outrage in the country.
In May, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s home city of Hiroshima played host to a Group of Seven summit. While the leaders of the G7 are committed to disarmament, they have also released a statement stating that nuclear weapons should be used to deter aggression and avert war until that day comes.
A peace bell rang at the precise time the bomb was detonated on Sunday morning, 8:15 a.m. (23:15 GMT on Saturday). Over 50,000 people, including elderly survivors, stood silently in 30 degree (86 Fahrenheit) heat for a memorial ceremony outside.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who was present at the ceremony alongside Kishida, remarked, “Leaders around the world must confront the reality that nuclear threats now being voiced by certain policymakers reveal the folly of nuclear deterrence theory.”
The prime minister stated that Russia’s nuclear threats were making progress toward a world without nuclear weapons more difficult, but that this only made it more urgent to renew international momentum towards this objective.
Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has voiced his approval.
His remarks were delivered by a U.N. delegate, and he added that after visiting the city and seeing its monuments and speaking with its brave survivors, world leaders were inspired to take up the cause of nuclear disarmament. The drums of nuclear war are being heard again, thus more people should take this step.
The “Little Boy” atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 caused the deaths of thousands of people immediately and another 140,000 by the end of the year. On August 15, Japan officially gave up.