On Saturday, August 6, 2022, the 77^th year since the atomic bombing, the Peace Memorial Ceremony was held by the City of Hiroshima in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. About 3,000 people attended, including hibakusha and representatives of bereaved families from 28 prefectures, as well as ambassadors and representatives from 99 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, the nuclear weapon states, and the European Union. They prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims and for lasting world peace.
　The ceremony began at 8:00am, when Hiroshima Mayor Matsui and two representatives of the bereaved families first dedicated two volumes of the Register of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims, containing the names of the 4,978 people who were confirmed to have died in the past year, to the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims. This brings the total number of names recorded in the Register to 333,907 people, in 123 volumes.
　After the ceremonial address by Mr. Sasaki, Chairperson of the Hiroshima City Council, and a flower offering by each representative, Mr. Shinji Yoneda, a representative of the bereaved families, and Ms. Himari Masumoto, the children's representative, rang the Peace Bell at 8:15, the time the atomic bomb was dropped, and all participants offered one minute of silent prayer.
　As the opening event of the Month, we welcomed actor Ms. Sahel Rosa to give a lecture on the topic of "Encounters with people gave me the strength to live."
　After this, Mayor Matsui read the Peace Declaration. Referring to the possibility that Russia may use nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine, the mayor urged the leaders of the nuclear weapon states to visit the A-bombed cities, face the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, and be convinced that the abolition of nuclear weapons is the only sure way to protect the lives and property of the people. He expressed his strong hope that the leaders who attend the G7 Summit in Hiroshima next year will reach this conclusion.
　The mayor also demanded the Japanese government serve as mediator at the ongoing 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to definitely participate in the next Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to become a signatory to the TPNW as soon as possible, and to wholeheartedly support the movement toward nuclear weapons abolition. He also demanded the government to enhance support measures for the many hibakusha who are suffering in various ways from radiation, which has adverse physical and emotional effects, and whose average age is over 84 years old.
　Barbara Alex and Rin Yamasaki, the children's representatives, then delivered the Commitment to Peace, in which they pledged to "take action for the creation of a future where peace is reflected in the eyes of everyone around the world."
　In his remarks that followed, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan would walk decisively forward on the path towards a world without nuclear weapons, no matter how narrow, steep, or difficult that path may be, and that, towards that end, while firmly upholding the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, Japan would endeavor to connect the reality of a harsh security environment with the ideal of a world without nuclear weapons. He also stated that he and the G7 leaders will unite to safeguard peace and the international order and uphold the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
　This ceremony was the first time that UN Secretary-General Guterres attended and delivered an address. The Secretary-General said that crises with grave nuclear undertones are spreading fast from the Middle East, to the Korean peninsula, to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Stating that it is totally unacceptable for states in possession of nuclear weapons to admit the possibility of nuclear war, he urged those states to "take the nuclear option off the table―for good. It's time to proliferate peace. Heed the message of the hibakusha: 'No more Hiroshimas! No more Nagasakis!'"
　The full texts of the Peace Declaration and Commitment to Peace read at the ceremony can be downloaded from the City of Hiroshima website.