WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — President Barack Obama will emphasize nuclear disarmament this month during a historic visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
Just in: President Obama will visit #Hiroshima after conclusion of G-7 Summit, 1st US Pres to do so pic.twitter.com/Ukm17HLLBZ
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) 10 May 2016
"Finally, the President will make an historic visit to Hiroshima with Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe to highlight his continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," the statement said.
Obama visiting Hiroshima/Nagasaki would be chance to say civilians should NEVER be targeted. https://t.co/QYpXoBDFqP pic.twitter.com/Cmqg1Foxrp
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) 10 May 2016
The visit comes as part of a seven-day trip to Vietnam and Japan for a Group of Seven (G-7) summit.
Last month, Secretary of State John Kerry visited Hiroshima for a meeting of the G-7 foreign ministers. Kerry then urged Obama to visit the city during the president's upcoming trip to Japan.
In August 2015, Japan marked 70 years since a US B-29 bomber dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, killing about 140,000 people. A second strike three days later killed 70,000 people in the Japanese imperial city of Nagasaki.
