Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Never again

IUF re-commits to campaign for peace and nuclear disarmament

August 2025 marks 80 years since atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - a solemn milestone that demands not only remembrance but renewed resolve to campaign for peace and nuclear disarmament. The bombings on August 6 and 9, 1945, instantly wiped out tens of thousands and left lasting devastation. Survivors endured radiation sickness, trauma, and social discrimination. Nuclear weapons are not only an assault on human life - they are an attack on the possibility of life itself.

The IUF joins millions around the world in commemorating the lives lost and forever changed by nuclear war. But commemoration is not enough. We must act.

Japan, as the only country to suffer a nuclear attack, has moral authority and historical memory that cannot be ignored. This month, across the country, people gathered to honour the Hibakusha - survivors who continue to bear witness - and to advance a global demand: never again. And that demand is more important today than ever. In 2025, the risk of nuclear war is again on the rise.

Authoritarianism, militarism, and nationalism are surging in many regions. Military budgets are expanding. Nuclear-armed states are modernizing their arsenals. The dangerous logic of "deterrence" rests on an illusion of control - it assumes rational actors, flawless communication, and no mistakes. But history shows us these conditions do not exist.

Trade unions cannot remain on the sidelines. War costs lives, livelihoods, and destroys human rights. It diverts public resources from healthcare, education, and social protection toward weapons and conflict. Workers have long played a crucial role in peace movements. We must continue to build on that legacy. The struggle for decent work and the struggle for a world free from nuclear weapons are inseparable.

The 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has to be more than remembrance. It has to be a call to organize.

We honour the surviours, not just with silence, but with action. We lift up the voices of all those impacted by nuclear testing, weapons production, and nuclear risks including Indigenous communities, workers exposed to radiation, and children living in fear.

At the IUF Congress in 2023 we adopted a resolution that states: "Only nuclear disarmament can prevent catastrophe. The last use of nuclear weapons must remain Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Let that be our pledge - not only to remember, but to act. Not only to speak, but to organize. Not only to hope, but to build peace. Together.

The resolution also gave us the path forward:

• Educate our members
• Mobilize for disarmament
• Resist rising nationalism and militarism
• Link the fight for peace with the fight for justice

Our Japanese affiliates will, we know, give us vital leadership in this work. We look to you. We thank you for your courage, your advocacy, and your unwavering international solidarity. Continue to share the testimonies. Continue to call for disarmament. And know this: you are not alone.