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People across Japan are remembering one of the darkest days in the country's history. Wednesday marks 80 years since an atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima.

Hiroshima fell silent at 8:15 a.m. -- the same moment the bomb dropped in 1945. The heat and radiation from the blast destroyed the city... killing an estimated 140,000 people by the end of the year.

Many who survived suffer from cancer, and other diseases, related to radiation exposure.

About 55-thousand people attended this year's ceremony. Hiroshima Mayor Matsui Kazumi placed an updated list of the dead in the park's cenotaph. There are now 349,246 names. Including 4,940 who died -- or whose deaths were confirmed -- over the past 12 months.

In his peace declaration, Matsui spoke about Tsuboi Sunao, an atomic bomb survivor. He led a campaign calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons until his death four years ago:

"One hibakusha leader frequently reminded younger audiences, 'Building a peaceful world without nuclear weapons will demand our never-give-up spirit. We have to talk and keep talking to people who hold opposing views.' Today, conveying the ardent pleas for peace derived from hibakusha experiences is more crucial than ever."

He also called on policy makers around the world to visit Hiroshima. He said they should witness with their own eyes what an atomic bomb does. Matsui also urged them to immediately start discussing a security framework based on trust through dialogue.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru also spoke at the ceremony. He said Japan is committed to a world without nuclear weapons:

“In pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons to lead the global community's initiatives is Japan's mission, as the only nation to suffer atomic bombings during war. When I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I renewed my resolve that these unbearable ordeals and memories should not be allowed to fade away, and must be handed down through future generations."

There are now less than 100,000 atomic bomb survivors left alive. Their average age is over 86 years old. As time goes on, it will become increasingly difficult to hear their stories directly.
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SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Matsui Kazumi, Hiroshima Mayor: "Building a peaceful world without nuclear weapons will demand our never-give-up spirit. We have to talk and keep talking to people who hold opposing views. Today, conveying the ardent pleas for peace derived from hibakusha experiences is more crucial than ever.”

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SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ishiba Shigeru, Japanese Prime Minister: “When I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I renewed my resolve that these unbearable ordeals and memories should not be allowed to fade away, and must be handed down through future generations. Here in Hiroshima, to realize a "world without nuclear war" and a "world free of nuclear weapons," and bring about everlasting peace, I pledge once again that Japan will do its utmost.”

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