Japan Marks 70th Anniversary of USA Bombing of Hiroshima

Tens of thousands of people in Japan have gathered in Hiroshima to mark the 70th anniversary of the deadly atomic bombing of the city by the United States.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took part in a ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park in downtown Hiroshima, which was also attended by some 40,000 survivors and foreign delegates representing about 100 countries, including US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy.

“As the only country ever attacked by an atomic bomb… we have a mission to create a world without nuclear arms,” Abe said.

 He added that the atomic bomb had not only claimed the lives of 140,000 people on that day, but also caused a slow and painful death for many others who were exposed to severe radiation in the days and months following the incident.

The Japanese premier also said Tokyo would submit a new resolution to the United Nations General Assembly later this year to abolish nuclear weapons.

The crowd observed a minute’s silence to mark the anniversary of the bombing at 8:15 am local time, when an American B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped a 4-thousand kilogram uranium bomb on Hiroshima, on August 6th, 1945.

Thousands of others also gathered at the city’s Motoyasu River where they released lanterns.

Days later on August 9, the Japanese port city of Nagasaki was also attacked by an atomic bomb, which left another 70,000 people dead.

Although the US and Japan have been close allies since, Washington has never officially apologized to Tokyo over the bombings.

The anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing comes as Abe’s government has been under pressure over a bid to pass unpopular legislation aimed at expanding Tokyo’s global military role.

Press TV

H.M