950805

Mayor to give apology

on soth anniversary

of Hiroshima bombing

HIROSHIMA: In a surpise twist on the 50th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing, the mayor of once-tragic Hiroshima plans to break with tradition on Sunday and formally "apologise" for Japan's actions in World War Two.

City officials said because of the symbolism of the 50th anniversary and heightened awareness of atomic weapons after France's decision to resume nuclear testing, Mayor Takeshi Hiraoka wanted to make a gesture that would cross national boundaries and persuade the world to end nuclear weapons development.

They said in using the long-shunned word "apology" in reference to Japan's World War Two actions, Hiraoka hoped it would give younger people a better perspective on history and persuade them against nuclear weapons.

Hiraoka's action is not without some danger because of feared backlash from ultra-nationalists who believe an apology dishonours the memory of Japan's war dead.

In 1989, a fanatic rightwinger shot and wounded the mayor of Nagasaki who broke another taboo by publicly stating that wartime Emperor Hirohito bore responsibilty for the war.

The Japanese government is still loathe to offer a straightforward apology. In a parliamentary resolution meant to atone for Japan's role in the war adopted last month, the wording used was "deep reflection" not "apology".

On the eve of Sunday's anniversary events, Hiroshima overflowed with peace activists, children and tourists drawn to where the bomb dropped at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people on impact and changing the world forever.

The tens of thousands of Japanese and foreigners arriving in the city promised to make the ceremonies the biggest in Hiroshima's history.

And for the first time, Hiroshima has invited a handful of foreign victims of the bombing to the ceremonies, including a survivor living in North Korea.

About 13,000 guests will listen to speeches by Hiraoka, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and representatives of children during the hour-long ceremonies which start at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday (2300 GMT on Saturday).

Speakers are overwhelmingly Japanese and the only non-Japanese is an under secretary-general of the United Nations.

Japanese authorities estimate there are still about 300,000 direct survivors of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasaki. In Nagasaki, about 70,000 died on impact.

Nearly 100,000 survivors still live in Hiroshima, now a bustling modern city of 1.3 million people completely rebuilt from the ashes of the atomic bomb.-Reuter