Obama Airs Wish to Visit Hiroshima: Mayor Akiba

Washington, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed his wish to visit Hiroshima in Japan, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of the atomic-bombed city said Thursday.

Akiba invited Obama during brief talks at the White House to visit
the city some time, the mayor said at a press conference. "I would like to
come," he quoted the president as saying.
But Obama stopped short of telling when to visit the city, which
was devastated by the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945, Akiba said.
Akiba visited here to attend a meeting of the United States
Conference of Mayors, aiming to seek cooperation for nuclear weapons
elimination in the run-up to a meeting in May for reviewing the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty.
Akiba held brief talks with Obama after the president delivered a
speech before U.S. mayors.
Akiba said that he told Obama that he wants the president's visit
in a way cerebrated by all people. Obama is to visit Japan to attend a
summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November.
In the closing days of World War II, Hiroshima suffered the atomic
bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, and Nagasaki experienced the same attack three days
later. No U.S. president has visited either city.