Lower house offers silent prayer for A-bomb victims

Aug. 6, Kyodo - Members of the House of Representatives made a silent prayer at the start of Friday's plenary session on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

It was the first time for Japan's lower house to observe a moment of silence in the five occasions since the end of World War II it has convened a plenary session on days marking the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 or Nagasaki on Aug. 9.

Steering Committee Chairman Hidenao Nakagawa decided on the gesture after consulting with representatives of political parties. A meeting of ruling Liberal Democratic Party officials earlier in the day made a proposal for it.

A suggestion to make the gesture a customary practice was made during the consultations. However, the issue was put off for future debate after other legislators expressed their own views, including offering the prayer not only for A-bomb victims but also victims of Japan's war in Asia.