Eighty-one years after the world’s first atomic bombing, Hiroshima commemorated the victims of the 6 August 1945 attack with a solemn Peace Memorial Ceremony, as global leaders, survivors, and international delegates renewed calls for a nuclear weapon-free world and lasting global peace.

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• Hiroshima marked the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing on 6 August 2026, honouring the victims of one of history’s deadliest wartime tragedies with memorial events across the city.
• The Peace Memorial Ceremony was held at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, where a minute of silence was observed at 8:15 AM, the exact moment the atomic bomb exploded in 1945.
• Nearly 50,000 attendees, including representatives from approximately 120 countries and regions, participated in the ceremony, reaffirming international support for peace, reconciliation, and nuclear disarmament.
• Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui delivered the annual Peace Declaration, urging world leaders to eliminate nuclear weapons and warning against growing global security tensions.
• Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the ceremony for the first time as Prime Minister and reaffirmed Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles of not possessing, producing, or allowing nuclear weapons.
• Atomic bomb survivors, known as Hibakusha, continued their decades-long campaign for peace and nuclear abolition, with their average age now exceeding 86 years, highlighting the urgency of preserving their testimony.
• The Atomic Bomb Dome, officially recognised as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, remains a UNESCO World Heritage Site and serves as a global symbol of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear warfare.
• The commemorations concluded with the traditional Toro Nagashi lantern-floating ceremony on the Motoyasu River, where thousands of illuminated lanterns honoured the memories of those who perished in the bombing.