Japan on Wednesday commemorated the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima with a solemn ceremony that served as a poignant reminder of the catastrophic power of nuclear weapons.

The event comes at a time when escalating tensions between nuclear-armed states, particularly the United States and Russia, have kept the symbolic Doomsday Clock perilously close to midnight.

At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time—the moment the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the uranium bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945—a silent prayer was observed across the city.

Hundreds of attendees, including survivors, students, and government officials clad in black, gathered at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. They laid flowers at the cenotaph, as the skeletal dome of the former Industrial Promotion Hall stood in the background—a stark, haunting symbol of the destruction that unfolded eight decades ago.

In his address, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui expressed concern over a growing global trend of military expansion, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East. He urged world leaders to recognize the catastrophic consequences of nuclear conflict.

“There is an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world,” Matsui warned, calling for renewed commitment to peace and disarmament.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba echoed this call, reaffirming Japan’s post-war pacifist stance and its resolve to lead global efforts toward nuclear disarmament.

“It is Japan’s mission to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons,” Ishiba declared.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of 1945, many of them civilians. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing around 74,000 people. The dual bombings led to Japan’s surrender on August 15, effectively ending World War II.

Wednesday’s ceremony not only honored the memory of those lost but also underscored the urgency of preventing future nuclear catastrophe in an increasingly volatile world.