Japan marks on Monday 62 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II with a commemoration ceremony attended by premier Shinzo Abe and other high-ranked officials.

Thousands gathered in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park where Abe held a traditional speech during which he surprised the assistance by reiterating Japan’s policy against the existance of nuclear weapons on its soil.

Approximately 140,000 people died after the B-29 Enola Gay bomber belonging to the United States Army Air Force dropped the first atomic bomb ever used during a conflict at 8:15 am.

“To ensure that no one else ever suffers as we did, the hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) have continuously spoken of experiences they would rather forget, and we must never forget their accomplishment in preventing a third use of nuclear weapons,” Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said during the ceremony.

He referred to the frequent interviews the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings give in order to open the world’s eye towards their suffering and the tremendous destruction force unleashed by A-bombs.

“The Japanese government should comply with the nation's pacifist Constitution as it is and clearly say no to wrong and outdated policies of the United States,” Akiba added.

Prime Minister Abe anchored the government’s policy regarding nuclear proliferation and pledged to continue following “the path toward global peace.“

“Japan has been taking the path toward global peace for 62 years since World War II. The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never be repeated in any place on earth.

“We will take an initiative in the international community and devote ourselves wholeheartedly toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and realization of peace,” Abe said.

The nuclear attacks on Japan sparked numerous controversies throughout time, a recent episode consuming last month when defence minister Fumio Kyuma presented his resignation following a statement made on June 30 in which he said the atomic bombings “could not be helped” in order to end the conflict.

Authorities acknowledged that about 252,000 people survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 9) attacks, but many of them were diagnosed with terrible disease as cancer provoked by exposure to radiation.