Japan marked the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing in a low key ceremony at Hiroshima with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga in attendance.
During the memorial, Suga said the government would "continue to provide comprehensive support measures while staying close to the ageing atomic bomb survivors." Suga is already under pressure from critics for going ahead with the Olympics amid a surge in Covid-19 infections.
The United States dropped its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima towards the end of the Second World War, on August 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 1,40,000 people. Following this, the US dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000.