COMMEMORATING 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA

On 2026-07-20, Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) delivered a floor speech titled "COMMEMORATING 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA" in the House.

COMMEMORATING 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)] [House] [Page H4636] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMEMORATING 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. August 6, 81 years ago--which will happen in a couple of weeks--the first instance of a nuclear weapon being deployed against a civilian population occurred. My cousin, Kikue Takagi, survived the bombing because she was sick and stayed home instead of being at the city center at ground zero with her middle school classmates. The vast majority of her middle school classmates perished that morning. She is a ``hibakusha''; ``survivor'' of the atomic bombing. The U.S. and Russia had the New START Treaty which limited the number of nuclear warheads in both of their respective arsenals. This year the Trump administration allowed it to expire, dealing a major blow to arms control efforts. We must not allow negligence or indifference to lead to a disaster in the absence of diplomatic safeguards. Mr. Speaker, I call on Congress, the President, and all of us to return to leadership in reversing the arms control race. ____________________