On August 6, 76 years since the dropping of the atomic bomb, the City of Hiroshima held its Peace Memorial Ceremony in Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima City. Approximately 750 people attended, including A-bomb survivors, bereaved families, and guests. They prayed for the repose of the souls of atomic bomb victims, and for perpetual world peace. In the same way as last year, participants in this year's ceremony were limited in a more compact ceremony, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
　The ceremony started at 8:00 a.m. Hiroshima Mayor Matsui and two representatives of the bereaved families dedicated two volumes of the Register of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims to the shrine in the Memorial Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Over the past year, 4,800 people's deaths had been confirmed and their names were recorded in the Register. This brings the total number of names recorded in the Register to 328,929 people, in 121 volumes.
　This was followed by an address by Mr. Yamada, chairperson of Hiroshima City Council, and a dedication of flowers by various representatives. At 8:15 a.m., the time that the bomb was dropped, Mr. Hidemi Murata, the representative of the bereaved families, and Miss. Nagisa Ishida, the children's representative, rang the Peace Bell, and all participants observed a minute of silent prayer.
　Mayor Matsui then read out the Peace Declaration. In the Declaration, the Mayor made a strong demand to world leaders, to move away from a stance of self-defense using nuclear weapons to threaten each other, to security based on trust coming from dialogue. He said that leaders need to understand that experience has taught humanity that rather that threats, treating each other with empathy and building long-tasting friendships will lead to benefits for each country.
　Mayor Matsui also called on the Japanese government to immediately sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), in accordance with the will of the hibakusha. He also asked that the government participates in the first Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW as an observer, constructively fulfilling the role of mediator between nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states and creating an environment that restores trust among nations and helps to set a path toward security that is not dependent on nuclear weapons. Mayor Matsui also said that as the average age of the hibakusha is now nearly 84, he called strongly for more generous assistance for them and the many others who suffer in their daily lives from the harmful physical and emotional effects of radiation, in addition to immediate aid for the people suffering from exposure to "black rain".
　In attendance at the ceremony were representatives of bereaved families from 24 prefectures, in addition to representatives and ambassadors from the European Union and 83 nations, including the nuclear weapon states of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.
　The full texts of the Peace Declaration and the "Commitment to Peace" that were read out at the ceremony are available on the City of Hiroshima website. The Peace Declaration is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.