Japan marked the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing with a solemn ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. A minute of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the exact time the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on the city in 1945. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned that justifying nuclear weapons and relying on nuclear deterrence could lead to another Hiroshima or Nagasaki, urging world leaders to reject violence and pursue lasting peace. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, attending the memorial for the first time as premier, pledged to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons while strengthening global non-proliferation efforts. The ceremony comes amid debate over Japan's evolving security policy and its long-standing postwar non-nuclear principles.
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