TOKYO: The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have invited US President Donald Trump to visit this year for the 80th anniversary of the World War II atomic bombings, officials said on Wednesday.

In a joint letter to Trump, the mayors urge him to come and “listen to the testimonies of the hibakusha (bomb survivors) in person, take to heart their fervent wish for peace, and deepen your understanding of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons”. “It is our sincere hope that you will break away from the notion of nuclear reliance and take strong leadership in the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realisation of lasting world peace,” said the Jan 28 letter shared with the agency on Wednesday.

The United States dropped an atomic bomb on each Japanese city on Aug 6 and 9, 1945 — the only times nuclear weapons have been used in warfare. Days later Japan surrendered. Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and some 74,000 others in Nagasaki including many who survived the explosions but died later from radiation exposure. Washington has never apologised for the bombings. US ambassador John Roos in 2010 became the first US representative to attend the annual Hiroshima commemoration and went to the Nagasaki event two years later.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025