John Kerry said he was “deeply moved" and "honored” to visit Hiroshima, Japan on Monday. United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. An estimated 140,000 people died in that bombing. The meeting included a tour of a World War II memorial to victims in Hiroshima. “It was a stunning display,” said Kerry, after visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. “It is a gut-wrenching display. It tugs at your sensibilities as a human being," he added. Speaking of the U.S. alliance with Japan, Kerry said, “My visit to Hiroshima has a very special meaning about the strength of the relationship and the journey we have traveled together since the difficult time of the war.” The secretary of state was asked if President (Barack) Obama will visit Hiroshima when he attends a G-7 leaders’ summit in Japan in May. Kerry said he hoped that one day the president of the U.S. would be among those who visited the city. He added that Obama had expressed an interest in visiting, but did not know if the president’s schedule would permit it.
