72 years ago today the world’s first nuclear attack on Hiroshima was conducted, while America constantly giving contradictory statements of never using nuclear arsenal again.
Japan had last month sided with nuclear powers Britain, France and the US to sack a UN treaty prohibiting atomic weapons, which was vetoed by critics for ignoring the reality of security threats such as North Korea.
Japan is also the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while addressing a gathering during the annual ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park near the ground zero expressed that Japan hoped to push for a nuclear weapons free world but only if all the countries in the world agreed to it.
“For us to truly pursue a world without nuclear weapons, we need participation from both nuclear-weapons and non-nuclear weapons states,” Abe added.
“Our country is committed to leading the international community by encouraging both sides” to make progress toward abolishing nuclear arms, Abe added without directly referring to the UN treaty.
Japanese officials have criticised the UN Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty as deepening a divide between countries with and without nuclear arms. None of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons took part in the negotiations or vote on the treaty.
Japanese officials regularly debate that they loathe nuclear weapons, but the nation’s defence is firmly set under the US nuclear umbrella.
Japan suffered two nuclear attacks at the end of the World War II by the United States — in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and in Nagasaki three days later.
The bombings claimed the lives of 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Some died immediately while others succumbed to injuries or radiation-related illnesses weeks, months and years later.
It resulted in Japan announcing its surrender in World War II on August 15, 1945.
Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima in May last year, paying moving honor to victims of the devastating bomb.
