By Miya Tanaka

NAGASAKI, Aug. 9 Kyodo, Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito on Wednesday called on the United States and North Korea, as states either possessing or in pursuit of nuclear weapons, to move toward nuclear abolition to avoid the possibility of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime collapsing.

"Voices of anger and frustration are echoing throughout the city," Ito said. "The time has come for those nations that rely on the force of nuclear armaments to respectfully heed the voices of peace-loving people, not least the atomic bomb survivors."

The speech was delivered in front of some 4,800 people as part of the Peace Declaration for the 61st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in World War II that claimed the lives of an estimated 70,000 people by the end of 1945.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, speaking after Ito, gave a speech similar to the one he gave in Hiroshima, vowing to maintain the Constitution's peace clause while promising to make efforts to enhance support for atomic bomb survivors.

As a bell tolled, a moment of silence was observed at 11:02 a.m., the moment the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki, three days after Hiroshima was attacked.

Noting the world has an arsenal of some 30,000 nuclear weapons "ready to annihilate humanity," Ito expressed concern over seeing "no progress" in nuclear disarmament since the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May last year ended without result.

His criticism was directed especially at the United States, which agreed on a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation pact with India in March, despite India's staying out of the NPT regime and conducting nuclear tests in 1998.

"The nuclear weapon states have not demonstrated sincerity in their efforts at disarmament; the United States of America in particular has issued a tacit approval of nuclear weapons development by India," Ito said.

Under the NPT, nations with nuclear arms, such as the United States, must not transfer nuclear weapons or nuclear technology to any non-nuclear weapons state.

Ito also cited North Korea as "threatening the peace and security" of Japan and the world, apparently referring to Pyongyang's July test-firing of missiles and its nuclear ambitions.

"The very structure of non-proliferation is facing a crisis," Ito added, also referring to Pakistan, a declared nuclear power, Israel, widely considered to possess nuclear arms, and Iran, whose nuclear enrichment activities are a source of international concern.

For the first time in Nagasaki's Peace Declaration, Ito called for scientists around the world to abandon the development of nuclear arms.

He urged the Japanese government to preserve the country's pacifist Constitution and enact into law Japan's three avowed principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons on its soil.

"We call upon the Japanese government...to ground itself in reflection upon history, uphold the peaceful intentions of the Constitution...that the tragedy of war may not occur again," he said.

Moves to amend the Constitution have gathered pace partly since Koizumi, who is to step down in September, made the controversial decision to send Japanese Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq on an aid mission.

It was the first time since World War II that Japanese troops have been sent to a country embroiled in conflict and was highly contentious in Japan, where the SDF's overseas activities are strictly limited under the Constitution.

Ito called for the government to enhance support for atomic bomb survivors. A total of about 180 survivors and their kin are pursuing lawsuits against the state seeking to have their diseases recognized as having been caused by atomic-bomb radiation, which would entitle them to special medical allowances.

As of March, a total of 259,556 atomic bomb survivors were alive both in and outside of Japan, with their average age at 73.9, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

This year, the names of another 2,831 people who have been recognized as victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki since Aug. 9 last year are to be added to the list of casualties, bringing the total number of victims to 140,144.

Kikuyo Nakamura, 82, representative of the atomic bomb survivors, told in the "pledge for peace" of how she now feels the imminent need to speak out about the horror of the war.

"When I see today's younger generation that has never known war call for a strong Japan, I see parallels to pre-war Japan (when Japan rushed into war) and cannot sit idly by," Nakamura said.

Nakamura, whose aunt and niece died in the atomic bombing, lost one of her sons, who was breast-fed, from leukemia three years ago at age 55.

"I shall never forget what the doctor said to me: 'You transmitted the cause of the leukemia to your son Hiroshi." These words torment me to this day."

Other participants in the ceremony included health minister Jiro Kawasaki, whose ministry is in charge of policies for atomic bomb survivors and government delegates from seven countries, including major nuclear power Russia.

Various commemorative events were held the same day in the city, including one at the reconstructed Urakami Cathedral, which is among the symbols of the Nagasaki bombing.

World War II ended six days after the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in 1945.

2006-08-09 13:51:48JST