Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bomb anniversary as mayor deplores the pursuit of nuclear weapons

TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with its mayor criticizing major powers for waging wars and urging them to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a method of deterrence.

“Downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one’s own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui said.

Too many political leaders still consider nuclear deterrence a realistic approach and legitimize violence, which “simply pushes a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance,” Matsui said in his peace declaration at the ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. He also called on each citizen to learn lessons from the past and take action.

About 50,000 people, including representatives from some 120 countries and regions including the United States and Iran, were to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who attended the memorial for the first time as prime minister, said she will take “a realistic approach” toward achieving a world where nuclear weapons are never used, within the framework of the United Nations' treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

This year’s ceremony comes at a time of looming speculation that Takaichi’s hawkish government, which supports the idea of nuclear deterrence, may ease Japan’s postwar three non-nuclear principles when it compiles new security and defense documents later this year.

Takaichi has advocated a review of the principles for a possibility of dropping the third one — of not permitting nuclear weapons to be brought into the country.

Takaichi said Japan has maintained its postwar three non-nuclear principles, but fell short of expressing commitment for sticking with that policy into the future.

Survivors have expressed frustration and worry over growing support for the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence by the international community, including Japan.

Japan is under the protection of U.S. nuclear umbrella and has repeatedly sought Washington's reassurance for its commitment and a stronger protection. Because of that, Japan’s government has rejected the survivors’ request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings as observers.

The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

The number of survivors has fallen to 91,105, about a quarter of the original number, with their average age exceeding 86. Survivors worry about fading memories, as the youngest of the survivors were too young to clearly recall the attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her speech during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)

Visitors pray in front of the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing ahead of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Mizuki Sakai/Kyodo News via AP)

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui reads a statement during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her speech during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

Visitors pray in front of the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing ahead of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (Mizuki Sakai/Kyodo News via AP)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU completed a series of two meetings with top donors on Wednesday night to outline what university President Wade Rousse has billed as a “first of its kind” revenue-generating proposal for athletics.

The meetings hosted by Gov. Jeff Landry at the governor's mansion outlined the potential creation of an LSU-controlled limited liability corporation that could generate sustained revenues through targeted investments, a person familiar with the matter said.

The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public and is still being refined, as well as being reviewed by legal and tax analysts.

The plan attempts to address the growing costs of sponsoring Division I sports in the wake of a 2025 settlement that paved the way for colleges to pay athletes directly. Currently, major Division I college athletics programs can share up to $21.3 million in sports-related revenues with their athletes.

A meeting attendee who spoke on a Baton Rouge podcast said the meeting alleviated boosters' concerns that the university might be eying a deal with private equity firms to raise capital.

“It’s not private equity,” Southern Regional Medical Center president Charles Harvey, who attended Monday’s meeting, said on a Louisianasports.net podcast. “LSU will maintain control.

“Private equity eats everything up; they control everything,” Harvey added. “The governor comes in. The first thing he said was: ‘Private equity is not an option. … We’re not talking about private equity.’”

Harvey said one of the speakers at the meetings this week included Greg Williams, a top executive from Acrisure, a Michigan-based financial technology and insurance company that has been developing supplemental revenue proposals for major college athletic programs.

An invitation to the meetings, sent by Tiger Athletic Foundation President Matt Borman to about 40 of LSU's most generous donors, stated, “This is not an ask for money. It's not a fundraiser. It's informational. This is a conversation about the future of LSU athletics.”

“College athletics is at a financial crossroads,” the invitation said. “You know how unsustainable the budget of the athletic department looks.”

More than a dozen boosters notified the Republican governor of plans to attend the first meeting on Monday night; fewer committed to attending on Wednesday night.

LSU has taken on more than $180 million in spending commitments in the past year because of two coaching changes.

LSU fired football coach Brian Kelly with about $54 million remaining on his contract in late October and basketball coach Matt McMahon in late March, when the university still owed him nearly $8 million.

LSU then hired Lane Kiffin as Kelly's replacement, luring him away from Mississippi with a seven-year contract worth about $91 million, and followed that up by hiring basketball coach Will Wade, who accepted a seven-year deal worth up to $30 million.

Those moves and the 2025 firing of athletic director Scott Woodward were spearheaded by Landry-appointed members of LSU's Board of Supervisors. The board replaced Woodward with Verge Ausberry, who oversaw the hirings of Kiffin and Wade.

Wade returned to LSU after being fired by Woodward in 2022 because of NCAA penalties stemming from an investigation into recruiting violations.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - An aerial overall exterior view of Tiger Stadium before an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman,File)