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U.S. ambassador’s presence in Hiroshima on August 6 linked to possible presidential visit

by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer

At a press conference on August 10, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba referred to the fact that U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, as the first representative of the United States, took part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima this year and said: "Mr. Roos's attendance holds great significance in view of President Barack Obama's potential visit to Hiroshima."

While Mr. Akiba said that he only had time to exchange greetings with Mr. Roos at the time, he presented the view that "Mr. Roos will report to Mr. Obama that he 'had a good experience in Hiroshima.'" Mr. Akiba made this remark with a sense of expectation that Mr. Roos's attendance at the ceremony would give Mr. Obama encouragement to visit Hiroshima.

When a reporter said that a large number of A-bomb survivors seemed likely to ask for an apology from the United States, the nation that dropped the atomic bombs, Mr. Akiba replied, "I speak with many citizens, and few have made such remarks."

Regarding Mr. Obama's possible visit to Hiroshima, Mr. Akiba made a verbal appeal to Mr. Obama to visit Hiroshima when he met with the president in the White House as a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January of this year.

Mr. Akiba summed up this year's Peace Memorial Ceremony and commented that, now that representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France participated in the ceremony, "all the nuclear powers, except North Korea, have attended the Peace Memorial Ceremony, including those who did so in the past. The record number of 74 participating nations reflects the momentum for nuclear abolition."

(Originally published on August 11, 2010)

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