Japan marks 74th anniversary of atomic bombing of Nagasaki

Japan's city of Nagasaki on Friday marked the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing in World War II, with Nagasaki mayor calling for the Japanese government's efforts in upholding the spirit of "never resort to war" during the memorial ceremony.

Visitors lay flowers and pray for the atomic bomb victims in front of the Nagasaki Peace Park in Nagasaki, Japan, on Friday, August 9, 2019. [Photo: Sipa USA via VCG/Richard Atrero de Guzman]

About 5,200 people and representatives from around 70 countries and regions attended the annual memorial ceremony held at the Peace Park.

Tomihisa Taue, the city's mayor, called on the government to adhere to the spirit of "never resort to war" and spread the spirit around the world.

"Above all, I ask the Japanese government to uphold the spirit of 'never resort to war' enshrined in the Japanese Constitution and to take the lead in disseminating that spirit around the world," Taue said.

He also urged the central government to immediately sign a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, the third time he conveyed the same message in three years.

"As the only country in the world to have experienced the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, Japan must sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible," Taue said in the Nagasaki Peace Declaration.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged in his speech that Japan would continue its efforts to serve as a "bridge between nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states."

"As the only country to have experienced nuclear devastation in war, Japan will tirelessly continue its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons," he said, adding that "this mission remains unchanged even in the Reiwa era."

A message from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was conveyed in the ceremony. "The only true guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination," he said.

Nagasaki was hit by an atomic bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, which prompted Japan's surrender and the end of World War II, making it the second city to have endured atomic bombing after Japan's Hiroshima was hit on Aug. 6 the same year.