July 28, 2010
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US Ambassador to Japan John Roos is likely to attend a ceremony for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. If that happens, Roos will be the first official from the country that dropped the bomb to attend the annual event.
US sources told NHK that a final arrangement is underway for the visit by Roos as a representative of the US government to the ceremony on August 6th, the 65th anniversary of the bombing.
The ambassador reportedly wishes to attend.
Roos visited the Peace Memorial Park, where the ceremony will take place, in October last year.Hiroshima City has been inviting all countries with nuclear weapons to the ceremony since 1998.
Two other nuclear weapon states, Britain and France, have accepted the invitation for the first time this year and plan to send embassy officials.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will also attend the ceremony, and will be the first UN chief to do so.
Hiroshima was not on US President Barack Obama's itinerary when he visited Japan last November.
But having pledged to create a world without nuclear weapons, Obama expressed hope to visit Hiroshima when he met the city's mayor earlier this year.
The United States apparently wants to emphasize its commitment to nuclear arms reduction and non-proliferation by sending the ambassador to the ceremony.
2010/07/28 06:30(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
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