Nagasaki 81st atomic bombing anniversary

On August 9, 2026, Kotaro Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in 1945. Mayor Toshihiro Suzuki delivered a Peace Declaration calling nuclear weapons an 'absolute evil' and warning that reliance on nuclear deterrence increases the risk of nuclear war. He urged the Japanese government to uphold its three non-nuclear principles and to attend the review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who attended the ceremony, reiterated Japan's 'realistic and pragmatic approach' to nuclear disarmament but remained ambiguous on the third non-nuclear principle, which prohibits allowing nuclear weapons into Japan. Her government is revising defense policy to bolster offensive capability, raising speculation about potential easing of the non-nuclear principles. Survivors (hibakusha) have protested, and their numbers have fallen to 91,105 with an average age over 86.