NAGASAKI, Japan — The city held its annual peace ceremony on Sunday, marking 81 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on August 9, 1945. The attack killed an estimated 74,000 people by year's end, leaving survivors, known as hibakusha, with lifelong illnesses.

Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivered a peace declaration renewing calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The ceremony included a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., the precise time of detonation, followed by the ringing of a peace bell and the release of doves.

This year's commemoration followed similar observances in Hiroshima on August 6, where city leaders warned of rising global nuclear tensions. The dwindling number of surviving hibakusha, whose average age now exceeds 85, has lent fresh urgency to efforts preserving their testimonies for future generations.

The Nagasaki municipal government invited representatives from dozens of countries to attend. The city has faced scrutiny over its guest list amid ongoing global conflicts.

In his declaration, Mayor Suzuki said: "We must never again allow anyone to become a hibakusha." He urged the Japanese government to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.