Ceremonies were held today in the Japanese city of Nagasaki to mark the 60th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on that city. It was the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan in three days and led to their surrender in World War II less than a week later.
Iccho Ito, the mayor of Nagasaki, was born only two weeks after the dropping of the bomb. He spoke today and directly appealed to the United States to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
'To the citizens of America: we understand your anger and anxiety over the memories of horror of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
'Yet, is your security actually enhanced by your government’s policies of maintaining 10,000 nuclear weapons, of carrying out repeated sub-critical nuclear tests, and of pursuing the development of new ’mini’ nuclear weapons?
'We are confident that the vast majority of you desire in your hearts the elimination of nuclear arms. May you join hands with the people of the world who share that same desire, and work together for a peaceful planet free from nuclear weapons.'
An estimated 74,000 people were killed by the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. The first bomb which fell on Hiroshima, killed at least 140,000 people. No other city has known the terror of being attacked by a nuclear bomb.
Survivors of the attack clung to each other, many crying during and after the ceremony. There are fewer than 50,000 survivors of the bombing left. Their average age is listed as 73.
Fumie Sakamoto, 74, was one of the survivors who spoke at today's ceremonies.
'I don’t want anyone to suffer the same pain. I swear in the presence of the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing to continue tirelessly to demand that Nagasaki be the last A-bomb site as long as I live. This promise is my pledge for peace.'
In a little known historical irony, Nagasaki was not the original target of the second atomic bomb. Originally, the U.S. planned to drop it on the city of Kokura but inclement weather and heavy cloud cover forced a change of plans. One cloudy day changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and left Nagasaki as one of only two cities to know the horrors of nuclear war.
