Address by Prime Minister TAKAICHI at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony

Today, eighty-one years ago, a single atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, claiming countless precious lives.

In an instant, the city was reduced to ashes. The everyday lives of those who lived here came to an abrupt end, and the time they shared with their families, along with all their hopes and aspirations for the future, were taken away.

Even those who survived were left to endure unbearable hardship in the years that followed.

As Prime Minister of Japan, I offer my heartfelt prayers for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the atomic bombing.

I also extend my heartfelt sympathies to those who continue to suffer from the aftereffects of the atomic bombing.

As we witness the remarkable recovery of this city from the ashes, we are once again reminded of the unwavering efforts of the people of Nagasaki and the immeasurable value of peace.

The tragedies that befell Nagasaki and Hiroshima eighty-one years ago must never be repeated.

Japan remains firmly committed to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Under the pledge to make Nagasaki the last place ever to suffer an atomic bombing, and as the only country to have experienced the horrors of nuclear devastation in war, we are advancing realistic and practical efforts toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons.

The recent Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held amid an increasingly severe international security environment. Nevertheless, Japan called on all countries to strengthen and preserve the NPT regime while conveying the heartfelt wishes of the people of the atomic-bombed cities.

We remain determined to continue making steady progress, step by step, under the Hiroshima Action Plan.

The importance of promoting an accurate understanding throughout the world of the realities of the atomic bombings continues to grow.

We will continue encouraging leaders around the world, as well as future leaders, to visit the atomic-bombed cities so that they may witness firsthand the realities of the bombings and help preserve the memory of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons.

As many years have now passed since the atomic bombings and the atomic bomb survivors continue to advance in age, we will continue to implement comprehensive assistance measures covering health care, medical care, and welfare while responding to their increasingly diverse needs.

In particular, with regard to the recognition of atomic bomb disease, we will continue striving to conduct examinations as expeditiously as possible so that applicants may receive the results as early as possible.

We will also continue steadily providing those who experienced the atomic bombing with medical expense assistance equivalent to that available to officially recognized atomic bomb survivors.

I understand that this city is home to trees that survived the atomic bombing eighty-one years ago.

Though their trunks were scorched and their branches shattered by the tremendous blast and intense heat, they remained firmly rooted in the earth and, in time, put forth new leaves once again. Those surviving trees must have offered a beacon of hope to people enduring indescribable suffering and profound grief.

In many ways, those trees mirror the people of Nagasaki, who achieved a remarkable recovery from devastation.

Here in Nagasaki—a city that, through the unwavering efforts of its citizens, has flourished as an international city of culture—I pledge to devote every effort toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons and achieving lasting peace.

In closing, I pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the atomic bombing, and for peace and well-being for their bereaved families, the atomic bomb survivors, all those attending today's ceremony, and the people of Nagasaki.