The Japanese city of Hiroshima has commemorated the 71st anniversary of the atomic bomb that killed hundreds of thousands of people at the end of World War II, and urged world leaders to follow the example of US President Barack Obama in making a historic visit to the city.
The ceremony, held at the city's Peace Park located near the hypocentre of the nuclear explosion, began with a one-minute silence at 8.15am local time on Saturday, recalling the exact time on August 6, 1945 when the US Air Force's B-29 Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" - the world's first nuclear bomb.
After the silence was observed, the city's mayor Kazumi Matsui urged world leaders to follow in Obama's footsteps and visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the site of a second atomic bomb - in order to understand the impact of the nuclear bombings.
In May, Obama became the first occupant of the White House to officially visit the city.
The ceremony today was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and representatives from 91 countries including Britain, France and Russia, as well as youth from the city and the bombing's survivors (collectively known as "hibakusha" in Japan).
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Matsui urged Abe to maintain the determination showed during Obama's historic visit to strive towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
He also read out a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that underlined how much the world today needs the spirit of the hibakusha, especially at a time when global tensions are rising and when it is difficult to progress towards denuclearisation.
The bomb was dropped in Hiroshima 71 years ago, immediately claiming the lives of around 80,000 people. By the year-end the death count had risen to 140,000, and in later years more than double the number succumbed to radiation.
The bombing of Nagasaki three days later on August 9, 1945 forced Japan to surrender, bringing an end to the Second World War.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only cities in the world that have suffered a nuclear bomb attack.
In March, there were a total of 174,080 hibakushas in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, compared to 372,264 in 1980, and their average age was 80.86 years.
