President Obama arrives in Hiroshima for historic visit

President Obama arrives at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

(Image credit: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)

published 27 May 2016

On Friday, President Obama landed in Hiroshima, making him the first sitting U.S. president to visit the city destroyed by a U.S. atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Obama has said he won't apologize for the bombing, which killed 100,000 people, mostly civilians, but on Friday he laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and also visited the more controversial museum, which mostly portrays Japan as a victim. Security is tight at the memorial park, but hundreds of people are lined up along Peace Boulevard, waving for Obama, The New York Times reports, including bombing survivors, a Buddhist monk, and families and office workers.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.