On Saturday, August 9, 2025, twin bells at Nagasaki’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also known as Urakami Cathedral, rang in unison for the first time since the American atomic bombing on August 9, 1945.
The bells chimed at 11.02 am, marking the exact moment the bomb was dropped, three days after Hiroshima, noted The Guardian.
The redbrick cathedral, rebuilt in 1959, after near-total destruction, had only one recovered bell, leaving the northern tower silent for decades.
A new bell, funded by $125,000 raised by American Catholics through a project led by James Nolan, professor at Williams College, was installed this year.
At the ceremony, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki urged an immediate end to armed conflicts, warning of a looming nuclear crisis.
Around 74,000 people died in Nagasaki, alongside 1,40,000 in Hiroshima, before Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. Survivors, or hibakusha, shared harrowing memories of injuries, illness, and loss.
Chief Priest Kenichi Yamamura said the restored bells symbolise humanity’s ability to repair, and rebuild while promoting peace.
Nearly 100 countries attended the commemoration, including Israel. Russia, excluded since 2022, was absent. The bells’ return fulfilled a local Christian’s decades-old wish to hear them ring together in his lifetime.
