Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, speaking during the debate of the heads of political parties on the eve of the election campaign about the desire to create a world without nuclear weapons, recalled the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, directly stating that they were carried out by the United States of America. The debate is broadcast by NHK.
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“Ultimately, I would like to create a world without nuclear weapons. I will never forget the shock I experienced when I was in the sixth grade of elementary school when I saw footage of the consequences of the atomic bomb that the United States dropped on Hiroshima,” the head of the Japanese government said.
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At the same time, answering a question about nuclear deterrence and the previously voiced idea about the possibility of joint use of nuclear weapons, Ishiba emphasized that “it is necessary to think and hold discussions on how to combine deterrence measures and the renunciation of nuclear weapons.”
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In August 1945, American pilots dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic explosion and its consequences killed 140 thousand people out of a population of 350 thousand in Hiroshima, and 74 thousand in Nagasaki.
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The vast majority of atomic bomb victims were civilians. On the anniversary of the tragic events – August 6 and 9 – “Peace Ceremonies” are held annually in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, at which Japanese politicians, including the Prime Minister, usually do not directly mention the fact that these bombings were carried out by the United States.
