Prime Minister Naoto Kan attended the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City.

Approximately 55,000 people including atomic bomb victims and bereaved family members, as well as representatives of 74 nations -- the largest number of nations ever -- attended the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing. The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), who is the first UN Secretary-General to attend the ceremony, and was also the first one attended by the representative of the United States, Mr. John V. Roos, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Japan, as well as the representatives of the United Kingdom and the French Republic, among others. The participants prayed for the repose of the souls of the war dead and for world peace.

Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima City, and the representatives of the bereaved family members added the names of people recognized as atomic bomb victims in the past year to the cenotaph and, furthermore, Prime Minister Kan and other participants led by the representatives of the bereaved family members and the atomic bomb victims offered flowers. Afterwards, the Peace Bell was rung at 8:15 a.m., when the atomic bomb was dropped, and all the participants offered a minute of silent prayer.

In the Peace Declaration, Mayor Akiba called on the world to bring about the abolishment of nuclear weapons, reiterating his resolve in a local dialect, "No one else should ever have to suffer such horror," and said, "Clearly, the urgency of nuclear weapons abolition is permeating our global conscience; the voice of the vast majority is becoming the preeminent force for change in the international community. To seize this unprecedented opportunity and actually achieve a world without nuclear weapons, we need above all to communicate to every corner of our planet the intense yearning of the hibakusha, thereby narrowing the gap between their passion and the rest of the world."

Following the recital of the Promise for Peace by the local elementary school students Ms. Mikina Takamatsu and Mr. Kazuhiro Yokobayashi, who represented children, Prime Minister Kan delivered an address, in which he expressed his sympathy for the victims and said, "The horror caused by nuclear weapons should never be repeated. I firmly believe that Japan, as the only country to have experienced nuclear devastation in war, has a moral responsibility to lead actions toward realizing 'a world without nuclear weapons.' I will take advantage of various opportunities to appeal the importance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation to world leaders, including the leaders of nuclear weapon states.
Moreover, I pledge that Japan will observe its Constitution and firmly maintain the Three Non-Nuclear Principles for the sake of the elimination of nuclear weapons and the realization of eternal world peace." The Prime Minister furthermore said, "For those suffering from the consequences of the bombs, the government has been providing comprehensive support measures covering the areas of health and medical care as well as welfare. For those waiting to be recognized as sufferers of atomic bomb diseases, the government will do its best to grant recognition at the earliest date possible."

After the ceremony, Prime Minister Kan visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The Prime Minister then attended, together with Mr. Akira Nagatsuma, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, a meeting to listen to requests by representatives of atomic bomb victims, and had talks with the representatives from seven groups of atomic bomb victims and others, following which he attended a press conference.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister visited a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima, Yano Orizuru-en.