Matsui warned in the traditional Peace Declaration that minimizing the inhumanity of these weapons and accepting force as a path to prosperity could unleash cycles of retaliation leading to “another Hiroshima or Nagasaki.”

The exhortation comes after the failure of the latest review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The politician emphasized that disarmament can only be achieved through multilateral efforts and called on policymakers to “lead by example.”

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in turn, stated that Japan upholds the three anti-nuclear principles.

During a ceremony held at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park this Thursday, Japanese officials and residents of the city observed a minute’s silence at 08:15 hours (local time), the exact moment when the atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” was dropped by the US warplane Enola Gay.

jdt/iff/npg/msm