Nagasaki marks 68th anniversary of US atomic bombing

Japan's Nagasaki city Friday marked 68th anniversary of atomic bombing by the US during World War II, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowing to push forward for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Representatives from 44 countries attended the ceremony held in the city's Peace Park where participants offered silent prayers for the victims at 11.02 a.m., the exact time when the atom bomb had hit Nagasaki, Xinhua reported.

Abe pledged again that his country would make efforts for the abolition of nuclear weapons, as he did three days ago in Hiroshima while marking the 1945 bombing of that city.

However, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue criticised the Japanese government for its recent inaction in opposing nuclear weapons, referring to Japan's failure to sign a statement rejecting the use of nuclear weapons.

To end the World War II, the US had dropped two atom bombs in Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities Aug 6 and 9 in 1945 respectively. About 74,000 people were killed in Nagasaki alone in the blast.

The bombing of Nagasaki was carried out three days after the first-ever atomic blast at Hiroshima, which claimed about 140,000 lives in all.