Hiroshima marks atomic bomb anniversary
HIROSHIMA, Japan -- With water and flowers for the dead, Hiroshima is remembering how a flash in the early morning sky 60 years ago turned life to death for more than 140,000 people and forever changed the face of war.
To mark the 60th anniversary Saturday of the world's first atomic bomb attack, tens of thousands were expected at Peace Memorial Park, the spiritual epicenter of the global anti-nuclear movement for one day each year.
After a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the instant of the blast, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba was to appeal for all nuclear powers to give up their arsenals. And at a simple, arch-shaped stone monument in the park, wreaths and ladles of water were to be offered.
Thousands mark Hiroshima A-bomb 60th anniversary
HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered in Hiroshima on Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city and to renew calls for the abolition of nuclear arms.
The anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing comes as regional powers continue talks in Beijing to urge North Korea to give up its nuclear program, seen by Tokyo as a potential threat and one of the reasons behind rising calls in Japan to strengthen its defense and seek closer military cooperation with the United States.
Under a blazing summer sun, survivors and families of victims assembled at the Peace Memorial Park near "ground zero," the spot where the bomb detonated on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, killing thousands and leveling the city.
Dignitaries including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the ceremony in Hiroshima, some 690 km (430 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
At 8:15 a.m., the time when the U.S. B-29 warplane Enola Gay dropped the bomb, people at the park and throughout the city observed a minute's silence in memory of those who perished.
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