Hiroshima observes the 80th anniversary since the United States’ atomic bombing of the western Japanese city on August 6, with the mayor urging young people to take action toward peace.

L/ Hiroshima

S/ Kimura Kazumi, NNN Reporter / The morning in Hiroshima is hot, just like that day 80 years ago. Even after the ceremony is over, many people are offering prayers at the Peace Memorial Park. Eighty years after the atomic bombing, prayers in Hiroshima have continued from the early hours.

Atomic bomb survivors and bereaved families came to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to pray before dawn on August 6.

S/ We were a family of seven, but six died. I was the only one left. I always come around this time and take my time to visit.

S/ I'll come again. My husband was exposed to radiation in the womb. If people let go of their selves and become honest with their feelings, this kind of thing will not happen.

In his peace declaration, the Hiroshima mayor alluded to words left behind by the late Tsuboi Sunao, an atomic-bomb survivor.

S/ Matsui Kazumi, Hiroshima Mayor / One hibakusha leader frequently reminded younger audiences...(about the) never-give-up spirit. Our youth, the leaders of future generations, must...lead civil society toward consensus through expanded participation at the grassroots level.

S/ Child representatives / We will pass on the thoughts of hibakusha and weave the voices of each person as we create peace.

Russia did not take part in the peace memorial ceremony, while the country's ally Belarus participated.

Representatives of Palestine and Taiwan attended for the first time, with a record 120 countries and territories taking part in the memorial ceremony.

The average age of hibakusha, or atomic-bomb survivors, has surpassed 86.

With the number of people who experienced the bombing decreasing, the weight of passing down their stories is becoming heavier.