Kan Hails U.N. Chief's Japan Visit on 65th Atomic Bomb Anniversary

Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)--Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that he is pleased to see U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon visit Japan in line with the 65th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At a meeting here with Ban, Kan said he appreciates the U.N.
chief's Japan visit from the bottom of his heart.
In reply, Ban said he hopes that his Japan visit will add momentum
to global campaigns to create a world without nuclear weapons.
Ban arrived in Japan on Tuesday for a five-day stay. He is set to
attend a peace memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Friday,
becoming the first U.N. chief to do so. Ban is also scheduled to visit
Nagasaki, southwestern Japan.
In the closing days of World War II, the United States dropped an
atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 and another on Nagasaki three days
later, making them the world's only cities attacked with nuclear weapons.
Kan expressed his gratitude to Ban for the U.N. Security Council's
adoption of a presidential statement in July that denounced the March
sinking of a South Korean warship, which is believed to have been caused by
a North Korean torpedo attack.
Ban asked Kan to attend the U.N. General Assembly session to be
held in New York in September. Kan replied he will try his best to take
part.