Some two-thirds of atomic blasts survivors in Japan do not think the upcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima will reap any tangible progress in nuclear disarmament, according to a new survey.
The Tokyo metropolitan government, meanwhile, reported 556 new infections on Tuesday, with the number of new daily cases marking the fifth straight day that infections have dipped below the 1,000-mark.
The development comes after Abe's visit to a Tokyo hospital twice over the past two weeks, fuelling speculation that his health has deteriorated.
The memorial ceremony was scaled down due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections in Japan and the need to maintain social distancing.
With an exponential rise in cases to 8 million infections and 0.5 million deaths, coupled with crippled economies and countless job losses, a global backlash has begun against China. On 31 December 2019, Taiwan notified WHO of the risk of human-to-human transmission.
An annual memorial ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Park near Ground Zero was attended by about 50,000 audiences paying respect, including representatives from about 90 countries and regions.
Abe is believed to have requested the releases during his talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
During his visit, Abe is slated to meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani and intends to try and urge Iran to stick to an international nuclear accord inked in 2015 between Iran and six major powers, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
The US President, who is set to visit Japan next month, suggested that an agreement may be signed during that trip.
