On August 6, 2013, the Japanese city of Hiroshima is marking the 68th anniversary of the dreadful atomic bombing during the end of World War Two. Several prayer gatherings have been conducted across the city and about 50,000 people attended a ceremony in the morning at the Peace Memorial Park.
The Peace Memorial Park is close to the epicenter of the bombing which happened on August 6, 1945. The monument was presented with a list of more than 286,000 bomb victims. New names have also been added to the list, as nearly 6,000 people died or were confirmed dead due to the after effect of the bombing one year later.
Back in 1945, the bomb was dropped at 8:15 am and the peace bell tolled at that same time on August 6, 2013, when the participants observed a moment of silent prayer. The Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, in his peace declaration called the atomic bomb as the ultimate inhumane weapon and an absolute evil. The Mayor also appealed to the Japanese government to strengthen its ties with other governments, while pursuing the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Kazumi – in his message to policy makers across the globe – asked, “How long will you remain imprisoned by distrust and animosity? Do you honestly believe you can continue to maintain national security by rattling your sabers?” The ceremony was also attended by the Mayor Tamotsu Baba of Namie Town in Fukushima Prefecture.
Photo Credits: gannett
