Officials from some of the Group of Seven nations have disclosed how their leaders reacted after they visited the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima and heard from an atomic bombing survivor on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told NHK that it was important for President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden "to pay their respects to the lives that were lost in the atomic bombing" in 1945.
Kirby said Biden "was grateful that he had the opportunity to lay a wreath" at a cenotaph for the victims and "visit at least a part of the museum with the other G7 leaders where they actually got to hear from a survivor."
The spokesperson added that "the president has said this countless times, a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won. And he still believes in that."
The Elysee Palace said French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a guest book that "With emotion and compassion, it is up to us to contribute to the duty of remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and to act in favor of peace, the only fight that deserves to be fought."
The Italian government said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote that "Today we bow our heads and stop in a prayer. Darkness has no final words. Remember the past and paint a future of hope together."
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted that "It was deeply moving to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which holds such significance."
He also wrote "This Summit carries the weight of history and it's important that we learn from the past, including from its darkest moments."