US Joins Hiroshima Memorial Event for First Time

Hiroshima marked the 65th anniversary of its atomic bombing today with an official representative from the US in attendance for the first time. Ambassador John Roos said he hoped this year's event would boost world efforts towards nuclear disarmament, the AP reports. Fellow nuclear powers Britain and France also sent official envoys for the first time.

"For the sake of future generations, we must continue to work together to realize a world without nuclear weapons," Roos said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the first UN chief to attend the ceremony, vowed to redouble efforts towards disarmament. "As long as nuclear weapons exist, we will live under a nuclear shadow," he said at the ceremony. (More Hiroshima stories.)