Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged today to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons as Hiroshima marked the 62nd anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologised today over a former defence minister's suggestion that the 1945 US nuclear attacks were justified, and promised expanded medical support for survivors.

Defence minister Fumio Kyuma apologised today for saying the US atomic bombings of Japan during the Second World War “couldn’t be helped”.