Nagasaki day

• Japan's Nagasaki on Monday marked the 76th anniversary of the US atomic bombing.
• On August 9, 1945, the US dropped the second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, three days after Hiroshima was destroyed by the first one - a uranium bomb- 'Little Boy'.
• The bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was code-named the 'Fat Man'.

Nagasaki bombing:

• At least 70,000 people were killed in the initial blast at Nagasaki, while approximately another 70,000 more died from radiation-related illnesses later.
• This led to Japan's unconditional surrender in Second World War.
• A US warplane named--Enola Gay dropped the 'Fat Man' about 1,650 feet above Nagasaki.
• Many survivors of the bombing developed cancer or other illnesses due to their exposure to radiation and suffered discrimination later.

Significance of Nagasaki Day:

• Nagasaki Day is observed across the globe to promote peace and create awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons.
• This day plays an important role as it focuses on anti-war and anti-nuclear demonstrations in many countries.

Step taken to control Nuclear proliferation

Non-proliferation Treaty

• It is the basic instrument which helped contain the spread of nuclear weapons in the 1968 and is generally considered to be the corner-stone of nuclear stability.
• The NPT distinguishes its parties between nuclear-weapon States (NWS) (States which conducted a nuclear test before 1967) and all the other States that, in order to be a member of the NPT, are classified as non-nuclear-weapon States (NNWS).
• The Treaty has three pillars:

1. The Principle of Non-Proliferation
2. The Principle of Disarmament
3. The Principle of Access to Peaceful Nuclear Technology