Off the wire
• Cases in Chinese courts increase 28 pct after reform  • German exports continue reviving in March  • Growth of French economy in Q2 to slightly slow: central bank  • Number of jobless in Switzerland drops in April: figures  • France's budget gap widens to 27.5 bln euros in March  • China aims faster early warning for earthquakes  • Israel closes off Palestinian territories amid national holidays  • IS claims downing Syrian military helicopter in Homs  • Cote d'Ivoire's ex-First Lady Simone Gbagbo to face "crimes against humanity" charges  • Cambodia adds 18 forests covering 2.67 mln hectares to Protected Forest Area list  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: Obama to visit Japan's Hiroshima later May: White House

Xinhua, May 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

The White House said Tuesday that U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima later this month, the first by a sitting American president.

Calling the visit to Hiroshima "historic," the White House said in a statement that Obama's trip will highlight his "continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons."

According to another statement released by Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, the visit to Hiroshima is slated for May 27.

"He (Obama) will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future," said Rhodes.

The White House had previously ruled out the possibility that Obama would apologize for the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima that killed tens of thousands of Japanese civilians in August 1945.

In a recent daily briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said unequivocally that Obama does not believe that Japan deserves a formal government apology.

During his tenth trip to Asia from May 21 to May 28, Obama will also visit Vietnam and participate in his final G7 Summit in Ise-Shima, Japan, said the White House. Endi