Hot Topic (8/10): Should nuclear weapons be banned?
TOKYO — The mayor of Nagasaki called for a global ban on nuclear arms at a ceremony marking the 64th anniversary of the devastating U.S. attack on the Japanese city that killed about 74,000 people.
In a speech given just after 11:02 a.m. — the time when a plutonium American bomb flattened Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945 — Mayor Tomihisa Taue said some progress had been made toward eliminating nuclear weaponry but more needed to be done.
He cited a speech by President Barack Obama in April calling on the world to rid itself of atomic weapons, but also noted a nuclear test blast by North Korea in May.
"We, as human beings, now have two paths before us. While one can lead us to a world without nuclear weapons, the other will carry us toward annihilation, bringing us to suffer once again the destruction experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 64 years ago," he said.
The Japanese government recognizes a total of about 150,000 victims of the atomic attack on Nagasaki, including those who have died from related injuries and illness in the years since.
Nagasaki was attacked three days after an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, in which 140,000 people were killed or died within months. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II.
At Sunday's ceremony, a moment of silence was observed at the time of detonation 64 years earlier, while a large bell in the city's Peace Park was rung repeatedly. As Taue finished his speech, doves were released and circled over the park, where hundreds of brightly colored strings of origami cranes had been hung by local residents.
About 5,800, including dignitaries and representatives from 29 countries, attended the ceremony.
Taue had invited leaders of countries possessing nuclear arms, including Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, to travel to Nagasaki.
Prime Minister Taro Aso and other dignitaries, as well as local resident Ayako Okumura, who was a child in the city when it was bombed, also spoke at the ceremony.
"To avoid a repeat of the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must devote all of our energy in the pursuit of international peace," Aso said.
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Do you think there should be a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons?
Is it even possible to have a world free of nuclear weapons? How would such a ban be enforced?
As the mom before me said, in a perfect world, yes. But countries are never going to trust each other and be the first to throw down their weapons. Even if they say they will, you can bet they have some stashed. N. Korea has done all it can to laugh at the idea. They're still practicing on theirs.
Never- this country needs to be able to keep our defenses updated and our Military on high alert at all times.
Really ,what good are they. They kill people , well ,guns do that. We should just eliminate all of them.
Well considering we can't control what other countries do (Iran, North Korea) we should have Nucs too. As far as some saying we should get rid of guns... well you can have your "change" I'll keep my guns so when the thugs break in my house I can defend myself. Like the others said in a perfect world yes, but this world and country is far from perfect.
Quoting resamerie:
As the mom before me said, in a perfect world, yes. But countries are never going to trust each other and be the first to throw down their weapons. Even if they say they will, you can bet they have some stashed. N. Korea has done all it can to laugh at the idea. They're still practicing on theirs.
This. We need to keep our defenses up, especially with such volatile countries like Iran and North Korea.
Quoting morningdove831:
Quoting resamerie:
As the mom before me said, in a perfect world, yes. But countries are never going to trust each other and be the first to throw down their weapons. Even if they say they will, you can bet they have some stashed. N. Korea has done all it can to laugh at the idea. They're still practicing on theirs.
This. We need to keep our defenses up, especially with such volatile countries like Iran and North Korea.
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