A ceremony on August 9, 2019 marks the 74th anniversary of US nuclear bombing on Nagasaki during World War II.  (Photo: Kyodo/ VNA)

The anniversary was attended by representatives from 70 countries around the world including the UK, China, France, Russia, and the US. Present were also representatives from  UN organizations and the EU.

At the ceremony, Nagasaki  Mayor Tomihisa Taue urged the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible.

The treaty was signed  by 122 countries in 2017, but it has yet to be in force as it has not been ratified by the required 50 countries. Japan has yet to sign the treaty.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said that Japan will continue to link nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres said in a message that the only true guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination.