Hiroshima A-Dome ManWithAToyCamera/Flickr

A Tale of Two Atomic Cities

The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two cities laid to waste by atomic bombs 70 years ago, call on world leaders to renew their pursuit of complete nuclear disarmament. For too long, citizens have been used as pawns on a global nuclear chessboard, with too little concern for the full implications of playing the game.

HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI – On April 27, representatives of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s 190 member countries will meet in New York for a four-week review of the 45-year-old pact. The attendees would be wise to consider an important fact: Although the NPT requires its members to “pursue negotiations in good faith” on nuclear disarmament, a wide legal gap still remains when it comes to eliminating nuclear weapons. It is time for the NPT’s signatories to initiate disarmament negotiations.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, when citizens everywhere will have an opportunity to pay their respects to the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed or wounded on those tragic days. This is also an occasion to honor the survivors, by supporting their call to eliminate all nuclear weapons, thereby ensuring that no one will ever suffer as they have.

We, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are but two voices among representatives from more than 6,600 cities in 160 countries and regions worldwide who support this historic goal. Our organization, Mayors for Peace, was created in 1982 as a way to transcend national borders and work together toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. More mayors are joining our cause every year, and our determination to pursue nuclear disarmament will only deepen in the years ahead.

https://prosyn.org/LyBRvwo