Japan on Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Hiroshima, the place its mayor urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and known as the Group of Seven leaders’ notion of nuclear deterrence a “folly”.

The day to commemorate the victims of the world’s first nuclear assault comes as Russia has raised the spectre of utilizing nuclear weapons in its struggle with Ukraine.

It additionally comes as biopic “Oppenheimer”, chronicling the creation of the atomic bomb, has grow to be a box-office hit within the United States. Some have criticised the movie for largely ignoring the weapons’ destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – bombed three days later, on Aug. 9, 1945.

The movie’s launch in Japan has but to be introduced.

Also inflicting controversy in Japan, the distributor of “Barbie”, a blockbuster launched on the identical day as “Oppenheimer”, latched on to fan-produced “Barbenheimer” memes that depicted the actors within the title roles alongside photos of nuclear blasts.

Hiroshima was within the highlight in May, the place Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted a G7 summit within the western metropolis, his dwelling constituency. G7 leaders issued an announcement expressing their dedication to reaching disarmament however mentioned that so long as nuclear weapons existed, they need to serve to discourage aggression and forestall struggle.

On Sunday, a peace bell tolled at 8:15 a.m. (2315 GMT on Saturday), the time the bomb was dropped. About 50,000 contributors within the out of doors memorial ceremony together with ageing survivors noticed a second of silence, with the summer time warmth hitting 30 levels Celsius (86 Fahrenheit)

“Leaders around the world must confront the reality that nuclear threats now being voiced by certain policymakers reveal the folly of nuclear deterrence theory,” Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui mentioned on the ceremony, additionally attended by Kishida.

Russia’s threats

The prime minister mentioned the street to a world with out nuclear weapons was getting steeper, due partly to Russia’s nuclear threats, however that this made it all of the extra vital to convey again worldwide momentum in direction of that purpose.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his help.

“World leaders have visited this city, seen its monuments, spoken with its brave survivors, and emerged emboldened to take up the cause of nuclear disarmament,” he mentioned in remarks learn by a U.N. consultant. “More should do so, because the drums of nuclear war are beating once again.”

The bomb dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, nicknamed “Little Boy”, killed hundreds immediately and about 140,000 by the top of the yr. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15.