Hiroshima, Nagasaki to Urge Trust-Building, Nuclear Abolition

Hiroshima/Nagasaki, July 31 (Jiji Press)--The mayors of Hiroshima in western Japan and Nagasaki in southwestern Japan plan to underline the importance of trust-building and action toward peace while urging the abolition of nuclear weapons in their annual peace declarations amid deepening global divisions, outlines released Friday showed.

In this year's peace declaration to be read out at the annual ceremony on Thursday, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui will express concern over imperious actions by major powers, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the tense situation in the Middle East in mind.

After the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference failed to adopt an outcome document at a meeting in May, Matsui will ask world leaders how long they will continue to disappoint civil society seeking nuclear abolition.

"We want this year's declaration to be a strong appeal, both domestically and internationally, aimed at making the abolition of nuclear weapons the norm in the international community and thereby prompting a shift in policy among those in power," he told a press conference Friday.

This year's Nagasaki peace declaration will express concern over growing global tensions and urge leaders worldwide to swiftly restore multilateralism and the rule of law, according to the outline.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]