Hiroshima officials condemn nuclear deterrence ‘folly’

Visitors paid their respects at a cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Kyodo News/AP)

Hiroshima officials have criticised growing support for nuclear weapons as a deterrent resulting from uneasiness over Russia’s war in Ukraine and tensions in the Koreas, as the city remembered the atomic bombing of 78 years ago.

The observance came two months after Hiroshima hosted a summit of the Group of 7 major industrial nations, at which G7 leaders visited the city’s peace park and a museum dedicated to those who died in the world’s first atomic attack.