Nagasaki marks 81st atomic bomb anniversaryNagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing, with Mayor Shiro Suzuki condemning nuclear weapons as “absolute evil” and urging Japan to uphold its non-nuclear principles. “To all leaders of the nuclear states and nations relying on nuclear deterrence, you must face the reality that the more you rely on nuclear deterrence, the more you increase the risk of a nuclear war.” The prime minister, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, reiterated her policy of taking “a realistic and pragmatic approach” toward achieving a world without nuclear weapons. As she did in Hiroshima, Takaichi remained ambiguous about the three non-nuclear principles and only reiterated that Japan currently maintains the policy. Growing concern about Takaichi’s possible easing of the non-nuclear principles has prompted protests by the survivors, or hibakusha, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.