Hiroshima commemorates 70th anniversary of atomic bombing

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows in front of the memorial cenotaph for victims of a 1945 atomic bombing during a memorial ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in western Japan on Aug 6, 2015.[Photo/CFP]

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Hiroshima, the city that suffered US atomic bombing in 1945 during the World War Two, commemorated the 70th anniversary of the bombing on Thursday at the city's Peace Memorial Park, with its mayor calling for peace and elimination of nuclear weapons.

About 55,000 people attended the ceremony, including survivors of the attack, their descendants, peace activists and representatives from about 100 countries and regions.

Kazumi Matsui, mayor of the city, made a peace declaration to the audience. He referred to the loss of lives and culture and the sufferings caused by the atomic bombing and called on policy makers of the world to abolish nuclear weapons and to "create versatile security systems that do not depend on military might".