The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki warn that time is running out to hear the voices of those who survived the nuclear attacks.<\/b>
\nThe mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have urged US President Donald Trump to visit their cities during his coming trip to Japan, in a symbolic appeal for him to witness the consequences of nuclear war first hand.
While observers view such a visit as improbable given the political risks, the mayors\u2019 appeal highlights growing concern over the erosion of the nuclear taboo, a concern echoed in the letter\u2019s warning about rising global tensions and the dwindling number of hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors.
Kazumi Matsui, mayor of Hiroshima, and his Nagasaki counterpart, Shiro Suzuki, made the request in a letter dated Friday and sent to the US embassy in Tokyo.
\u201cEighty years have passed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II, and today we are seeing deepening confrontation and divisions among the international community, as warfare continues in various parts of the world,\u201d the letter said.
\u201cThis critical situation has greatly shaken the humanitarian norm in the international community that \u2018nuclear weapons must never be used\u2019, heightening the risk of another nuclear weapon being used.\u201d
With the number of survivors dwindling each year, time was running out for the world\u2019s leaders to hear the voices of the hibakusha, the mayors said.<\/p>\n