While numerous countries and regions sit today in Hiroshima’s Peace Park to attend the commemorative ceremony of the 81st anniversary of the atomic bomb blast, nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their arsenals. The record attendance, exceeding last year’s 120 delegations, stands in stark contrast to the paralysis of international disarmament. The “hibakusha”, survivors whose ranks dwindle each year, attend a ceremony where pacifist symbolism clashes with the reality of an international system that invests billions in the lucrative business of war.
Among the nuclear-capable states, the United Kingdom, France, India and Israel confirmed their presence; the Russian Federation is absent for the fifth consecutive year. China, Pakistan and North Korea did not respond, and the United States of America was ambivalent. The city of Hiroshima established a notification system that turns absence into a political statement. The expansionism of nuclear arsenals is today a fact rather than a suspicion, and the Hiroshima anniversary exposes the hypocrisy of a global discourse that calls for peace while powers compete in rearmament.
The disarmament conference in Hiroshima brings together the hibakusha with international delegates to demand an end to nuclear weapons. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament described the bombings as “criminal” and warns of the “continuous expansionism” of the powers, a complaint repeated year after year without governments taking effective measures.
The 28th “Hiroshima Peace Light Gathering”, convened by the city council, invites participants to carry candles lit from the “light of peace” to pray for the victims. But the annual ritual cannot hide the evidence: 81 years later, the world is more heavily armed than ever. This commemoration has become an exercise in ethical contortion, where nuclear-armed states attend to condemn what they themselves possess and the system that feeds it. As the testimonies of the “hibakusha” fade away, the system that enabled Hiroshima remains intact before the eyes of the world’s population, the inaction of governments, the profits of transnational arms companies and the uselessness of supranational bodies.
Sources:
Nippon.com (2026). Un récord de 127 países y regiones asistirán a la ceremonia de la paz en Hiroshima el 6 de agosto. https://www.nippon.com/es/news/yjj2026070800915/
Nippon.com (2026). Record 127 Nations, Regions to Attend Hiroshima Ceremony. https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2026070800915/record-127-nations-regions-to-attend-hiroshima-ceremony.html
The Japan Times (2026). Russian envoy to skip Hiroshima peace ceremony. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/03/japan/russia-envoy-to-skip-hiroshima-ceremony/
Morning Star (2026). Jeremy Corbyn and Caroline Lucas to represent CND on Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversary. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/jeremy-corbyn-and-caroline-lucas-represent-cnd-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-anniversary
Hiroshima City official website (2026). 第28回「ヒロシマ平和の灯のつどい」を開催します. https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shisei/kouhou/1004010/1045546/1050817/1051441.html