The statement came during the annual Peace Ceremony held at the Nagasaki Dejima Messe conference center in the southern prefecture.

In the presence of a reduced audience due to the approach of Typhoon Khanun, Suzuki stressed that nuclear-armed countries must show courage and free themselves from dependence on nuclear deterrent.

He also urged the Japanese Government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible.

For the first time in six decades, the solemn event was moved from the Nagasaki Peace Park to an indoor location due to security reasons.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not attend the ceremony, but sent a video message in which he offered his sincere condolences to the souls of the victims and his sympathy to those still suffering from the aftermath.

He noted that the unspeakable tragedy that occurred 78 years ago in Nagasaki and the suffering caused must never be repeated.

“As the only country in the world that was once hit by an atomic bomb, Japan will continue to make tireless efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. This is our country’s mission, and it will not change,” he stressed.

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