The city of Hiroshima held a memorial ceremony Sunday to mark the 61st anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, U.S. atomic bombing, with Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba calling on all nations to "faithfully" engage in nuclear disarmament negotiations.
In the Peace Declaration read at the memorial service, Akiba expressed concern over stalled moves toward eliminating nuclear weapons, saying he expects Japan, the only country to experience the devastation of nuclear warfare, to take a robust role in a global campaign.
"The number of nations enamored of evil and enslaved by nuclear weapons is increasing," he said. "The human family stands at a crossroads. Will all nations be enslaved? Or will all nations be liberated?"