Hiroshima commemorated the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on August 6, 2025, with ceremonies reflecting on the 1945 attack that claimed 140,000 lives. As survivors, now averaging over 86 years old, dwindle in number, the milestone drew representatives from 120 countries, including Russia and Belarus, to observe a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the exact time the bomb struck. Mayor Kazumi Matsui, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and others laid flowers at the Peace Memorial Park’s cenotaph, while survivors and families began paying respects at dawn.

Nihon Hidankyo, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning survivors’ group, expressed deep concern over increasing global acceptance of nuclear weapons for deterrence. “The nuclear threat is greater than ever,” their statement noted, calling for nuclear-armed nations to reconsider their stance.

Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree who lost his grandfather and cousins, prayed the tragedy inscribed on the cenotaph—“never to be repeated”—remains true, but worried about rising tensions. Kosei Mito, 79, a survivor exposed in utero, criticized justifications for nuclear use, such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comparison of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings to an attack on Iran, calling them “absurd.”

Japan’s refusal to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings, due to its reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, has left survivors feeling betrayed by the government’s peace commitments.

They also seek compensation for civilian victims and U.S. acknowledgment of responsibility for the attacks. With time running out for survivors, their push for a nuclear-free world grows more pressing as global risks intensify.

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