Japan marks 78th anniversary of Nagasaki bombing

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and government leaders called for nuclear disarmament on the 78th anniversary of the World War II incident Wednesday.

A moment of silence was observed at 11:02 a.m. local time Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary of the 1945 nuclear bombing that is estimated to have killed about 74,000 people. The city of Nagasaki has says that 3,314 survivors have died over the past year.

"What survivors want is disarmament and a peaceful world, and that was the most important thing for me in coming today," said Takeko Kundo, an 85-year-old survivor of the Nagasaki bombing who delivered remarks at the commemoration.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki called for disarmament and denounced the concept of nuclear deterrence.

Suzuki called on nations protected by nuclear deterrence to "show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence."

In a statement read during the ceremony, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "the risk of nuclear catastrophe is now at its highest level since the Cold War."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, however, promoted the practice of preventing the further spread of nuclear weaponry.

"Japan, holding the presidency of the G-7 and non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, will lead global efforts towards international community unite in maintaining and strengthening the treaty on the Non-Proliferating of Nuclear Weapons," said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The ceremony was originally meant to take place in Nagasaki's Peace Park, but the risk presented by Typhoon Khanun caused a change of venue, resulting in a smaller gathering than the planned event which would have brought 2,500 attendees together, including representatives from 85 nations.

In lieu of Peace Park, the ceremony was held at Nagasaki's conference center.

The threat of typhoon weather resulted in the closing of the atomic bomb museum and the suspension of some railway traffic.

Organizers displayed paper cranes and projected an image of the peace statue in the conference hall while survivors from the Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Association came to ring the peace bell which marks the moment the bomb was dropped.

"I was worried not doing it would stop feelings towards disarmament, so we had no choice but to come out and ring the bell," said Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Association executive director Shinichiro Hayashida.