TODAY, we remember the horrific war crime committed by the United States against the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Eighty-one years ago, President Truman authorised the atomic bombings of these two cities, not to end the second world war, but to ensure it emerged from this devastating global war as the dominant superpower.

The two bombs killed over 340,000 people, dying instantly, vaporised by thousand-degree heat, or more slowly, in agony from the terrible burns and radiation sickness.

The bombings started a nuclear arms race which resulted in a frenzy of nuclear weapons production and testing. Now, Hibakusha — the Japanese word for atomic bomb survivors — can be found right across the world.

Not just in Japan, but in the Aboriginal populations of Australia, the Marshall Islanders, the Downwinders of the Nevada desert and military personnel — all of whom were exposed to repeated nuclear explosions throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The Japanese peace movement also attributes the name of hibakusha to Iraqi civilians and troops who were poisoned by radioactive depleted uranium, that was also used in Kosovo and now in the Ukraine war.

Children of those exposed, and their children’s children, have all been damaged by these explosions and are today suffering from agonising medical conditions, cancers and birth defects. Millions have been affected.

Yet, as we mark this anniversary, the existential threats from nuclear annihilation and accelerating climate breakdown are only growing.

The worsening of the Ukraine war — with the intensification of long-range drone and missile attacks — means the threat of a nuclear confrontation between Nato and Russia is only increasing.

This escalation is taking place at the same time as France has started its nuclear co-operation agreement. Nuclear exercises have already taken place with Germany.

The agreement will mean that France could deploy its nuclear weapons to European countries including Poland — right on Russia’s borders.

There is another layer of nuclear weapons across Europe too — with at least 150 US nuclear bombs stationed at six Nato bases, including at Lakenheath in Britain. The British government is actively driving this nuclear proliferation. through its purchase of US nuclear-capable fighter jets, working hand-in-hand with Trump, in gearing up to use nuclear weapons pre-emptively in war.

The impact of Nato expansion is also seeing other governments drop their bans — in the face of strong public opposition — on hosting nuclear weapons, including Finland and Lithuania. 
The Trump administration made it clear in its US National Security Strategy that maintaining nuclear supremacy is necessary to its continued global dominance, most critically in relation to attempting to check China’s economic growth and growing global influence.

So it is corralling countries into funding and facilitating its nuclear supremacy. For instance, the US administration is continuing to press Japan to lift its fundamental principles against nuclear weapons. US nuclear-armed submarines already use Japanese ports, so this raises the question of whether the US wants to station US nuclear weapons at its military bases in the country. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears supportive of removing the anti-nuclear principles.

As this global rearmament intensifies, military spending has been increasing year-on-year — to record highs of $2,887 billion in 2025 — alongside record levels of spending on modernising and expanding nuclear weapons.

At the same time, across the world, hundreds of thousands of excess deaths are being caused by extreme heat and millions across the African continent are facing famine due to drought.

Here in Britain, whilst there were nearly 3,000 excess deaths in May and June alone from the heatwave, the new Burnham government has endorsed cuts of up to £7 billion — and another £5bn in the autumn to fund increases in military and nuclear spending. These include deep cuts to capital spending on climate action. Meanwhile health, emergency and fire services are critically understaffed and underfunded.

Yet Burnham is doing this against increasing opposition and anger. There is strong opposition within the wider population against these cuts to public services. And urgent calls for action on climate are growing. The stark warnings of the suppressed Joint Intelligence Committee report about the catastrophic impact of climate breakdown, including food shortages due to drought, must be acted upon now.

The United States’ attempts to maintain its global dominance are only driving us closer towards war and nuclear annihilation. The deadly rearmament programmes across Europe and here in Britain — far from keeping us safe — are only accelerating the life-threatening crisis of climate breakdown.

Instead we must redirect the hundreds of billions away from war and nuclear weapons so we can halt the climate crisis, transform our societies and rebuild our communities.

Here in Britain and across the world, ceremonies are taking place to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombings, calling for an end to nuclear weapons. It is time for world leaders to heed the demands of the global Hibakusha.

Never has it been more urgent to halt the threat of nuclear weapons — to ensure that the horrors of nuclear war are never repeated — and instead co-operate globally to save people and planet.

CND groups across the country are organising events this week and over the weekend to mark the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Visit CND’s events (https://cnduk.org/events/hiroshimaevents/) to find an event near to you.

Sophie Bolt is general secretary of CND.