A suspected right-wing extremist vandalised a memorial for the victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, scraping off a reference to Japan’s war effort as a mistake, officials and news reports said today.

As thousands assembled in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park to mark the 57th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack today, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reaffirmed Japan’s policy against building or possessing nuclear weapons.