British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro underscored the fragility of the world and the "supreme value" of human life in a message for Sunday's 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of his birthplace Nagasaki.
"This is the anniversary of a terrible event. But this milestone also marks seventy-five years during which time there has been no repeat of what was inflicted on the people of Nagasaki that day," said Ishiguro, the 2017 Nobel Prize winner in literature.
Touching on his mother Shizuko, who survived the attack as a teenager and went on to "enjoy a long, peaceful life," he said the commemoration should be regarded as bringing "triumph and hope, as well as horror and sadness."
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In the message sent to the southwestern Japanese city, Ishiguro, born nine years after the 1945 bombing, referred to the fragility of human civilization and stressed how vital it is to promote joint action globally.
"And in our current, troubled times, let us not forget the importance of international cooperation and understanding that has brought us safely through these years," said the 65-year-old, who moved to Britain with his parents and elder sister when he was five.
"Let us remember the huge dangers that continue to threaten us, and the supreme value of human life," he said.
Ishiguro was awarded the honorary title of citizen of the city in 2018 after winning the Nobel Prize.
In his debut novel "A Pale View of Hills," published in 1982, he recounted the rehabilitation of Nagasaki after it was destroyed by the atomic bomb, which killed an estimated 74,000 by the end of 1945.
His other novels include "The Remains of the Day," which won the Man Booker prize in 1989.
