Written by Were Kelly
Nagasaki’s skyline will echo with a sound unheard since 1945 this Saturday — the harmonious tolling of two cathedral bells at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also known as Urakami Cathedral.
The moment, scheduled precisely for 11:02 a.m., will mark the exact time the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the southwestern port city eight decades ago, killing tens of thousands and forever altering its history.
The commemorative ringing is part of the city’s annual remembrance of August 9, 1945, when approximately 74,000 people died in Nagasaki, just three days after an estimated 140,000 perished in Hiroshima from the first wartime nuclear attack. Six days later, Japan surrendered, ending World War II.
Urakami Cathedral, located just a few hundred metres from the bomb’s hypocentre, was almost completely obliterated in the blast. Only one of its two original bells survived the devastation. The church was rebuilt in 1959, but for decades, its bell tower remained incomplete, unable to reproduce the sound that once defined its daily rhythm.
That silence will end thanks to an extraordinary act of cross-border solidarity. Funded largely by Catholics in the United States, a new bell has been crafted to replace the one lost in the bombing. The project was spearheaded by James Nolan, a sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, whose grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project, the US programme that developed the atomic bomb.
During research trips to Nagasaki, Nolan heard a poignant wish from a local Japanese Christian: to once again hear the cathedral’s twin bells ring together. Moved by the request, Nolan launched a year-long fundraising campaign, delivering lectures across American churches and community centres on the human toll of nuclear war. His efforts raised roughly $125,000, enough to forge and install the replacement bell, which was unveiled earlier this year.
“The reactions were magnificent,” Nolan said. “There were people literally in tears.”
Kenichi Yamamura, the cathedral’s chief priest, described the bell’s return as a testament to reconciliation and human resilience.
“It’s not about forgetting the wounds of the past but recognising them and taking action to repair and rebuild, and in doing so, working together for peace,” he told reporters.
The restoration project, Yamamura added, embodies “the greatness of humanity” — a message that resonates deeply at a time when global tensions and nuclear fears remain high.
Nearly 100 countries are expected to send representatives to Nagasaki’s commemorations this year. Notably, Russia will attend for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Israel, whose ambassador was excluded from last year’s ceremony over the war in Gaza, is also expected to participate.
A Nagasaki city official explained the broad invitations: “We wanted participants to come and witness directly the reality of the catastrophe that a nuclear weapon can cause.”
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will lead the official ceremonies at Nagasaki Peace Park, where wreaths will be laid in honour of the victims. Survivors, known as hibakusha, will share testimonies of loss, survival, and their ongoing plea for a nuclear-free world.
The Nagasaki event comes just days after Hiroshima marked its own 80th anniversary of the bombing. In both cities, the anniversaries have reignited debates over nuclear deterrence, disarmament, and the ethics of wartime decision-making. Public opinion in Japan remains split, with some advocating for stronger security alliances under the US nuclear umbrella, while others press for more aggressive disarmament diplomacy.
The tolling of Urakami Cathedral’s two bells is intended to rise above that debate — a sound not of politics, but of shared memory and human connection.
For Nolan, the sound will carry personal meaning, connecting his family’s history with a global call for peace. His grandfather’s role in the Manhattan Project placed him on the opposite side of history from the people of Nagasaki, yet his own efforts decades later have become part of the city’s healing process.
“It’s a way of bridging the past with the present,” Nolan said, “and hopefully inspiring a future where this kind of devastation never happens again.”
As the bells ring in unison for the first time in 80 years, they will serve as both a memorial to those lost and a reminder of humanity’s capacity for restoration — even after the most shattering of blows.
And for the people of Nagasaki, their chime will be more than just a sound; it will be the heartbeat of a city that refuses to let its history fade into silence.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
