Japan's Hiroshima commemorates 71st anniversary of atomic bombing

HIROSHIMA, Japan -- Hiroshima, the city that suffered US atomic bombing in 1945 during World War II, commemorated the 71st anniversary of the bombing on Saturday at the city's Peace Memorial Park, with its mayor calling for a nuclear-weapon-free-world under a legal framework banning nuclear weapons.

"A nuclear-weapon-free-world would manifest the noble pacifism of the Japanese Constitution, and to ensure progress, a legal framework banning nuclear weapons is indispensable," said Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui while making a peace declaration at the ceremony, attended by survivors of the attack, their descendants, peace activists and representatives from about 91 countries and regions.

Earlier, despite nation-wide protests, the Abe administration forced passage of controversial security bills that would allow Japan's Self-Defense Forces to engage in armed conflicts overseas, in defiance of the country's pacifist constitution, a move closer to the Japanese prime minister's long-held goal of revising the pacifist constitution.

Japan's pacifist constitution bans the country from using force outside Japan. The new security bills have become legal foundation for the country's right-wing to take control of Japan's defense.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also attended the ceremony and delivered a speech, pledging to continue to uphold Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles of not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into its soil.

Last year, Abe did not mention the principles in his speech, the first time for a Japanese prime minister to have made such an omission since 1994. Such an "oversight" on Abe's part fueled criticisms.

About 1,000 people from all over the country rallied around the park early Saturday morning, protesting against Abe's attendance at the ceremony and his right-minded policies including the controversial security bills. They held banners and shouted "Retract the war bills," "We strongly oppose the security-related bills" especially when Abe was delivering the speech at the ceremony.

Hiroshima citizen Jeong Izua told Xinhua that Abe has rolled out various right-wing policies since he took office in 2006.

Last year, the Abe administration forced the passage of new security bills, which changed Japan's long-held principle of "not engaged in wars," said Izua.

"A premier intending to wage war like Abe is not eligible to come here," he said.

Ishihama Motoki, a citizen from central Aichi prefecture, told Xinhua that he "absolutely opposes Abe's attendance at today's ceremony."

Referring to the Imperial Japan's repeated aggression against neighboring countries including China since the Meiji period, Motoki said "the Abe administration has kept whitewashing the country's history of aggression and seeking excuse for it."

"I oppose Abe's visit to Hiroshima as well as his talk of peace," said Motoki, who is also against Abe's attempt to revise the country's pacifist constitution.

Hoshino Fumio, a citizen from northeastern Niigata prefecture, told Xinhua that atomic bombing is a human tragedy brought by war; however, as for the reason why the tragedy took place, "postwar Japanese politicians including Abe have never reflected on it and never really taken responsibilities."

In addition, Fumio said, Abe's words and deeds on nuclear weapon are contradictory. Despite his calling for abolishment of nuclear weapons, Japan has huge stockpile of weapons-grade nuclear material and the government's statement in April said using nuclear weapons is not against its constitution, which wilfully distorted the pacifist constitution, said Fumio.

"Abe's attendance at the ceremony is just a show deceiving the public," said Fumio, who travelled over 800 km from Niigata to Saturday's ceremony here.

To accelerate Japan's surrender in the WWII, the US forces dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.

Another atomic bomb hit Nagasaki on Aug. 9 the same year, and Japan surrendered to Allied Forces on Aug. 15, six days after the Nagasaki nuclear attack, bringing an end to the war.