Tokyo : US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday visited the Hiroshima peace park, becoming the senior most US official to visit the site, more than 70 years after the city was devastated by the world’s first atomic bombing.
Kerry laid a wreath at the cenotaph for the victims of the bombing. However, he did not offer an apology for the bombing, which killed around 1,40,000 Japanese.
The US Secretary of State’s move may preclude a visit to the memorial by President Barack Obama next month during the G-7 Summit on May 26 and 27 in Japan.
“Everyone in the world should see and feel the power of this memorial. It is a . harsh, compelling reminder not only of our obligation to end the threat of nuclear weapons, but to rededicate all of our effort to avoid war itself. War must be the last resort – never the first choice,” Kerry wrote in the guest book for the Hiroshima Peace memorial Museum, reports Guardian.
Prior to his visit, Kerry expressed hope to underscore to the world the importance of peace and the importance of strong allies to help make the world safer.
Kerry was in Hiroshima for the G-7 Foreign Ministers Meeting, where visiting diplomats have agreed to work in fighting terrorism. (ANI)