Latest news with #NihonHidankyo

Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Hiroshima mayor urges Trump visit after A-bomb comments
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and about 74,000 others in Nagasaki. TOKYO - US President Donald Trump should visit Hiroshima to see the effects of nuclear weapons, the Japanese city's mayor said on July 2, after Mr Trump likened the 1945 atomic bombings to recent air strikes on Iran. 'It seems to me that he does not fully understand the reality of the atomic bombings, which, if used, take the lives of many innocent citizens, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and threaten the survival of the human race,' Mayor Kazumi Matsui told reporters. 'I wish that President Trump would visit the bombed area to see the reality of the atomic bombing and feel the spirit of Hiroshima, and then make statements,' Mr Matsui said. The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945, and then another on Nagasaki three days later. Shortly afterwards, Japan surrendered, ending World War II. Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and about 74,000 others in Nagasaki, including many from the effects of radiation exposure. It was the only time that atomic weapons were used in warfare. On June 22, 2025 , following days of Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, the United States bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. Soon afterwards, Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, ending their 12-day war. 'I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing,' Mr Trump said on June 25. 'That ended that war and this ended (this war),' Mr Trump said at a Nato summit in The Hague. His comments prompted anger from survivors and a small demonstration in Hiroshima. Last week, the city's assembly passed a motion condemning remarks that justify the use of atomic bombs. Japan's atomic bomb survivors' group Nihon Hidankyo won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 , and while accepting the prize, called on countries to abolish the weapons. AFP


NHK
5 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Russian ambassador to attend Nagasaki peace ceremony
Russia's ambassador to Japan is set to attend an annual peace ceremony this August in Nagasaki. It's the first time Russia has been invited since invading Ukraine. The event will take place on August 9, exactly 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in western Japan. The Russian Embassy in Tokyo says Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev will attend. The city had not invited Russia and ally Belarus since 2022. But officials say they plan to invite all countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan this year. Russian Embassy officials told NHK that the ambassador decided to attend after receiving an invitation signed by the Nagasaki mayor. They also say they received an explanation about previous circumstances. The embassy says Ambassador Nozdrev will not attend a ceremony on August 6 in the city of Hiroshima. NHK has learned that Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Frydnes plans to make a four-day visit to both cities starting July 21. He is expected to exchange opinions with atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha. The committee awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization that represents survivors of the atomic bombings and calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons.


Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Outrage as Trump compares Iran strikes to Japan atomic bombing
SINGAPORE — Japan has condemned US President Donald Trump for comparing recent US strikes on Iran to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. "That hit ended the war," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing." About 140,000 people died when the US dropped atomic bombs on the two southern Japanese cities in August 1945. Survivors live with psychological trauma and heightened cancer risk to this day. If Trump's comment "justifies the dropping of the atomic bomb, it is extremely regrettable for us as a city that was bombed," said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki. Trump's comments are "unacceptable", said Mimaki Toshiyuki, an atomic bomb survivor who co-chairs the Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy group Nihon Hidankyo, public broadcaster NHK reported. "I'm really disappointed. All I have is anger," said another member of the group, Teruko Yokoyama, in a Kyodo News of the atomic bomb attacks staged a protest in Hiroshima on Thursday, demanding Trump retract his in Hiroshima also passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting statements that justify the use of atomic bombs, and called for armed conflicts to be settled if Tokyo would lodge a complaint over Trump's remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said that Japan has repeatedly expressed its position on atomic bombs to comments on Wednesday came as he pushed back on a leaked intelligence report that said US strikes on Iran only set its nuclear programme back by a few had insisted that the strikes "obliterated" the program and set it back "decades" - a claim backed by CIA director John is the only country in the world to have been hit by a nuclear attack and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still stir painful Hiroshima, a peace flame that symbolises the country's opposition to nuclear weapons has been burning since the 1960s while a clock that counts the number of days since the world's last nuclear attack is displayed at the entrance of a war leaders who visit Hiroshima are also asked to make paper cranes to affirm their commitment to peace. — BBC


Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Unacceptable': Japan condemns Trump's Hiroshima comparison to Iran strikes; demands retraction
Donald Trump (AP photo) Japan has strongly criticised US President Donald Trump for comparing the recent American military strikes on Iran to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. "That hit ended the war," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing." The comparison has drawn backlash across Japan, which remains the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks. The bombings in August 1945 killed about 140,000 people, and survivors continue to live with long-term health issues and trauma. Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki responded to Trump's comment, saying, "If Trump's comments justifies the dropping of the atomic bomb, it is extremely regrettable for us as a city that was bombed." Atomic bomb survivor and co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy group Nihon Hidankyo, Mimaki Toshiyuki, also criticised Trump, saying the remarks were "unacceptable", as quoted by BBC via Japanese public broadcaster NHK. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Livguard Lithium-X: The Future of Power Backup Livguard Learn More Undo "I'm really disappointed. All I have is anger," added Teruko Yokoyama, another member of Nihon Hidankyo, speaking to Kyodo News. In response, survivors and citizens in Hiroshima held a protest on Thursday demanding that Trump retract his statement. Hiroshima lawmakers also passed a resolution rejecting any statement that justifies the use of nuclear weapons and called for all armed conflicts to be resolved peacefully. When asked if Japan would formally lodge a complaint, chief cabinet secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa stated that "Japan has repeatedly expressed its position on atomic bombs to Washington." Trump's controversial remarks came as he pushed back against a leaked US intelligence assessment which suggested that recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites only delayed their programme by a few months. Trump countered that the US attacks "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities and set them back "decades" - a claim also supported by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The legacy of Hiroshima remains central to Japan's anti-nuclear stance.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Outrage as Trump compares Iran strikes to Japan atomic bombing
Japan condemned US President Donald Trump for comparing recent US strikes on Iran to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. "That hit ended the war," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing." About 140,000 people died when the US dropped atomic bombs on the two southern Japanese cities in August 1945. Survivors live with psychological trauma and heightened cancer risk to this day. If Trump's comments "justifies the dropping of the atomic bomb, it is extremely regrettable for us as a city that was bombed," said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki. Trump's comments are "unacceptable", said Mimaki Toshiyuki, an atomic bomb survivor who co-chairs the Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy group Nihon Hidankyo, according to public broadcaster NHK. "I'm really disappointed. All I have is anger," said another member of the group, Teruko Yokoyama, in a Kyodo News report. Survivors of the atomic bomb attacks staged a protest in Hiroshima on Thursday, demanding Trump retract his statement. Lawmakers in Hiroshima also passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting statements that justify the use of atomic bombs. They also called for armed conflicts to be settled peacefully. Asked if Tokyo would lodge a complaint over Trump's remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said that Japan has repeatedly expressed its position on atomic bombs to Washington. Trump's comments on Wednesday came as he pushed back on a leaked intelligence report that said US strikes on Iran only set its nuclear programme back by a few months. Trump had insisted that the strikes "obliterated" the programme and set it back "decades" - a claim backed by CIA director John Ratcliffe. Japan is the only country in the world to have been hit by a nuclear attack and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki stir painful memories. In Hiroshima, a peace flame that symbolises the country's opposition to nuclear weapons has been burning since the 1960s while a clock that counts the number of days since the world's last nuclear attack is displayed at the entrance of a war museum. World leaders who visit Hiroshima are also asked to make paper cranes to affirm their commitment to peace.