August the 9th marks the 67th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in Japan. A memorial service has been held in the city to mark one of the worst atrocities in modern history.

A moment of silence was observed during the ceremony to commorate those who died in the attack. During the final stages of World War Two in 1945, the United States dropped Little Boy on the city of Hiroshima on August 6th, followed by Fat Man over Nagasaki on August 9th. Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 in Nagasaki.

On 15 August, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender, officially ending World War Two. The bombings led, in part, to post-war Japan's adopting the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding the nation from nuclear weapons. The role of the bombings in Japan’s surrender and their ethical justification are still debated.

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