Hiroshima 'peace Clock' Reset To Protest Us Subcritical Nuclear Tests
An atomic bomb museum in Hiroshima has reset its clock showing the number of days that have passed since the last nuclear test took place. The move was taken to protest the two subcritical nuclear tests that the United States conducted last year.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in the western Japanese city reset the "peace clock" on Wednesday evening from 499 days to 209 days.
The US National Nuclear Security Administration told NHK on Wednesday that the tests were carried out at a test site in Nevada on June 22 and September 16. Subcritical tests do not produce nuclear explosions.
The earlier figure, 499 days, refers to the subcritical test the US carried out in November 2020.
The museum's director, Takigawa Takuo, told reporters on Thursday that it's very regrettable that the US carried out the subcritical tests when the world is concerned about the risks of using nuclear weapons.
He said the museum's mission is to let the world know the reality of atomic bombing. He said he hopes there will be no more nuclear tests.
Hiroshima suffered the world's first atomic bombing in 1945.