The Citisens of Nagasaki Mark the
81st Anniversary of US Atomic Bombing
Associated Press
(August 9, 2026) — Nagasaki on Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the southern Japanese city, with its mayor denouncing growing support for nuclear deterrence in the global community, including Japan and demanding his own government do more for nuclear disarmament.
The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, killed 70,000 people, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima killed 140,000.
Nagasaki Memorial | PM Takaichi’s
CRITICAL Speech on 81st A-Bomb Anniversary
Times Now World
NAGASAKI, Japan — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the annual peace memorial ceremony in Nagasaki on August 9, 2026, marking the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing that devastated the city in the closing days of World War II. At exactly 11:02 a.m., the moment the plutonium-based ‘Fat Man’ bomb detonated in 1945 and claimed approximately 74,000 lives, attendees observed a solemn minute of silence.
Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister and a prominent conservative hawk, delivered a crucial address under intense scrutiny. Following her speech at the Hiroshima memorial three days prior, where she omitted a clear future pledge to maintain Japan’s long-standing ‘Three Non-Nuclear Principles’—not possessing, not producing, and not permitting nuclear weapons—critics and regional neighbors are closely watching for signs of a strategic shift in Tokyo’s defense posture.
The ceremony comes as the Takaichi administration prepares to revise key national security documents by the end of 2026 amid a severe regional security environment, prompting fierce debate over whether Japan will review its pacifist nuclear constraints. Historical context looms large as the nation also prepares to mark the anniversary of its August 15, 1945 surrender, which followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. This live broadcast features original Japanese natsound and speeches from Nagasaki’s Peace Park.
