Nagasaki urges nuclear weapon ban on 75th anniversary of bombing

TOKYO — The Japanese city of Nagasaki on Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the town, with the mayor and a dwindling number of survivors urging world leaders including their own to do more for a nuclear weapons ban.

At 11:02 a.m., the moment a B-29 bomber named Bockscar dropped a 4.5-ton plutonium bomb dubbed “Fat Man,” Nagasaki survivors and other participants stood in a minute of silence to honor more than 70,000 dead.

The Aug. 9, 1945, bombing came three days after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the world’s first nuclear attack. The Hiroshima bombing killed 140,000. On Aug. 15, Japan surrendered, ending World War II.

Many survivors developed cancer or other illnesses because of their exposure to radiation and suffered discrimination.

Sunday’s ceremony was scaled down because of a rise in coronavirus cases in Japan.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue read a peace declaration in which he raised concern about a growing global opinion supportive of nuclear deterrence. Taue urged Japan’s government and lawmakers to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, saying the threat of nuclear arms is growing more than ever.

Japan has not signed the treaty, saying it seeks a role to bridge gaps between nuclear and nonnuclear states so they have a common ground for dialogue.