Hiroshima marked the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing on Wednesday.
On August 6, 1945, the US bomber Enola Gay dropped a 4-ton "Little Boy" uranium bomb on the city centre, an estimated 80,000 people were killed instantly. By the end of the year, around 140,000 people died. Many are still experiencing the effects of radiation-related illnesses.
President Putin has threatened to use nuclear arms in Ukraine. America and Israel recently bombed Iran, claiming the Iranians had breached their non-proliferation promises. And in the past decade, Kim Jong Un has, despite international sanctions, established a nuclear program in North Korea.
For decades, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where a second atomic bomb was dropped three days later, have been held as examples of a line humanity should never be allowed to cross again.
With multiple wars still waging in the world, and nuclear powers continuing to increase their stockpiles, the people protesting on Wednesday in Japan feel their calls for peace are more important than ever.
———
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on X: https://twitter.com/itvnews
