Japan:Hiroshima marks 66th anniversary of atomic bombing

Laaska News  August 6,2011

Saturday marks the 66th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In an annual peace declaration, Hiroshima’s mayor will urge the Japanese government to review its energy policy amid the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The ceremony will start at 8 AM with Prime Minister Naoto Kan attending.

A list of the names of the 275,230 bomb victims will be placed in a cenotaph. The list grew by 5,785 since last year’s ceremony to include those who died in the past year or whose deaths were newly confirmed.

Participants will observe a moment of silence at 8:15 AM, the exact time the bomb was dropped in 1945.

In his peace declaration, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui will point out that the accident at the Fukushima plant has shattered the public’s trust in nuclear energy.

Matsui will also talk about the suffering of Hibakusha, or the atomic bomb survivors, and will call for the abolishing of nuclear weapons.

Various events will be held throughout the day in Hiroshima to promote peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

NHK.

 

Laaska News.
www.laaska.wordpress.com