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Labor Assistant Minister Josh Wilson MP attends 80th Anniversary commemorations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
Labor Assistant Minister Josh Wilson MP attends 80th Anniversary commemorations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
On Wednesday August 6th, the world looked to Hiroshima, where commemorations began, to mark the anniversary of the nuclear annihilation of the city, which took place 80 years ago in 1945.
At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, the United States of America detonated the first of two devastating atomic blasts in Japan above the city of Hiroshima, killing between 60,000 and 80,000 people instantly. The second, three days later on August 9th over the city of Nagasaki killed 74,000. By the end of 1945, upwards of 210,000+ people had died as a result of the bombings and radiation exposure.
As commemorations commenced on Hiroshima day in Japan to remember the victims, and survivors, of the of the bombs, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Australia, welcomed the formal attendance of an Australian parliamentary representative at the official ceremonial proceedings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A statement from the Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) during the anniversary week states ‘The devastation caused to Hiroshima and Nagasaki serves as an eternal reminder that we must make every effort to avoid these weapons being used or tested again.’
Josh Wilson MP, Labor’s Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was in Hiroshima alongside representatives from 120 countries, countless civil society groups to mark these anniversaries, in a special ceremony at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.
In a social media post, Mr Wilson, a long time supporter of nuclear disarmament shared:
Is is a privilege to represent the Australian Government at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial ceremony this morning.
It is 80 years ago today that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It caused the death of more than 140,000 civillians through the blast an radiation injuries that followed.
It is a solemn reminder of the foundational value of peace, and the necessity, and the imperitive of the cause of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
I was fortunate enough to be here in 2016, as the then Deputy Mayor of Fremantle, as part of the Mayors for Peace initiative, which now covers more than 8500 local governments worldwide, including nearly 100 in Australia.
And it is a privledge to be here this morning representing the Australian Government which is committed to the vital work of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, because we are committed to a world without nuclear weapons.
Nagasaki Peace Park sculpture highlights shared histories of Australian and Japanese nuclear survivors.
On Nagasaki Day, Saturday August 9th, commemorations were held in the city of Nagasaki, marking 80 years since the second US nuclear attack on Japan.
Mr Wilson attended the official commemorations in Nagasaki and shared a sculpture gifted to the Nagasaki community in 2026 from First Nations survivors of nuclear weapons testing in Australia.
The sculpture, titled ‘Tree of Life, Gift of Peace’ was created by communities in Yalata, Oak Valley and Maralinga in South Australia. First Nations communities exposed to the the British nuclear tests in Australia in the 1950’s and 1960’s share a bond with nuclear survivors everywhere, and this is reflected in this gift, which was installed in the Nagasaki Peace Park in 2016. The sculpture symbolises a Piti Dish, used to collect water in desert communities, answering the desperate calls for water (mizu) heard across Nagasaki in the immediate aftermath of the bombing.
Watch the video below.
New poll reinforces Australian public support for Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty
Australia’s official attendance at commemorations in Japan came just hours after the release of new polling results which revealed that two-thirds of Australians support Australia joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and followed an outpouring of public support for Australia to advance its position on the treaty in the lead up to these 80th anniversaries.
Australia’s attendance at the anniversary ceremonies followed a recent parliamentary visit from second generation Hiroshima Hibakusha (survivor), Isao Morimoto, alongside representatives of ICAN Australia to highlight the significance of these 80th anniversaries for survivors and their descendants, and draw attention to the calls from Hibakusha for nuclear weapons abolition in their lifetimes