Kishida vows to keep Nagasaki ‘as last place to endure horror’ of nuclear weapons
17:02 JST, August 9, 2022
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents a constituency in Hiroshima, on Tuesday became the first leader from an atomic-bombed city to attend the ceremony marking the A-bombing of Nagasaki.
“Even in the midst of a severe security environment, we must continue the history of not using nuclear weapons, keeping Nagasaki as the last place to endure the horror of their use,” Kishida said in his speech during the memorial event, adapting the theme of the city’s message calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
In recent years, there had not been a significant difference in the speeches made by prime ministers at the annual ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This time, however, the text read by Kishida during each city’s memorials incorporated the circumstances of each city, thereby highlighting that nuclear disarmament is his life’s work.
Later in the afternoon, Kishida visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to become the first incumbent prime minister to visit the site. The visit sent a message of solidarity to atomic bomb survivors as it fulfilled a long-cherished wish by the city’s hibakusha group.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
Chinese Ships Stay in Japanese Waters near Senkaku Islands for 2 Days
-
Japan, U.S. to Join Forces on AI, Semiconductors; Seek to Counter China’s ‘Military-Civil Fusion’
-
Japan, U.S. to Work Together for Expanding Marine Product Supply Chains; Countering China’s Economic Coercion
-
84% of People Nationwide Say They Feel Japan’s National Security Is Under Threat
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years