Today Marks 76th Anniversary of World's 1st Atomic Bombing

On the 76th anniversary of the world's first atomic blast, Hiroshima's mayor encouraged world leaders to band together to remove nuclear weapons, just as they have in the fight against the coronavirus.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui encouraged world leaders to treat nuclear disarmament as seriously as they treat a pandemic labelled a "danger to humanity" by the international community.

Matsui said: “Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total annihilation that we can certainly end, if all nations work together."

On August 6, 1945, the United States launched the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, wiping out the city and killing 140,000 people. Three days later, it detonated a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000 people. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to World War II and a nearly half-century of Asian aggression.

However, during the Cold War, countries accumulated nuclear weapons, and a standoff continues to this day.

Matsui reiterated his call for Japan's government to join and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons quickly.

At the Hiroshima Peace Park ceremony, where ageing survivors, officials, and some dignitaries observed a minute of silence for the 8:15 a.m. blast, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made no mention of the pact. Suga later stated at a press conference that he has no intention of signing the deal.