Sombre vigil marks Hiroshima anniversary

Demonstrators wave lights in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA, Japan -- An estimated 50,000 people have assembled in Hiroshima to mark the anniversary of the day the city was reduced to ashes by the world's first atomic bomb attack.

The mournful tolling of a bell marked the moment 56 years ago when the city of Hiroshima was flattened and 140,000 lives lost.

The annual ceremony on Monday observed 60 seconds of silent prayer at 8:15 a.m. (2315 GMT Sunday) -- the moment the United States dropped the bomb on August 6, 1945.

Those attending the ceremony at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park bowed their heads in prayer amid both sadness for those who died and disappointment that two world wars and countless other conflicts in the 20th century failed to bring an end to conflict.

QUOTE "As the only country that has experienced a nuclear attack ... we have appealed to the global community to eradicate nuclear weapons." - Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi

"The end of the century of war has not automatically ushered in a century of peace and humanity," Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba told gatherers. "Our world is still darkened not only by the direct violence of civil wars, but also by innumerable other forms of violence."

Hundreds of white doves were released into the sky at the ceremony, which is televised nationally every year. A choir of children sang a song of peace.

Amid growing concern that tensions between India and Pakistan -- the world's newest nuclear powers -- and the illegal sales of nuclear weapons to rogue nations could lead to another atomic war, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed to redouble efforts to achieve a worldwide ban on testing of atomic weapons.

"As the only country that has experienced a nuclear attack ... we have appealed to the global community to eradicate nuclear weapons and build a lasting peace, so that the devastation of nuclear warfare will never again be repeated," Koizumi said.

The Japanese prime minister has come under criticism by peace activists and Japan's Asian neighbours for a plan to visit a shrine dedicated to the nation's the war dead, including executed war criminals.

Koizumi, who said on Monday he was still pondering a final decision on the Yasukuni Shrine visit later this month, has said he only wants to pay respects to Japan's war dead, and has no intention of justifying or glorifying the war.

Memory fading

City mayor Akiba also made a plea for nuclear disarmament, urging the memory of Hiroshima not to be forgotten.

"Passing on to younger generations the memories and the will of those who suffered the bombing is the most important step for humankind to survive in the 21st century," Akiba said. "That is the surest way to bridge a rainbow to the 22nd century."

With the average age of atomic blast survivors now over 70, keeping the memory alive seems more difficult with each passing year.

A recent survey by the western city of Hiroshima showed that 64.8 percent of elementary school children did not know the exact date and time of the bombing, up 20.5 percentage points from five years ago.

Hiroshima is 687 kilometers (426 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

On Thursday, ceremonies were to be held to mark the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, further south, in which 70,000 people were killed. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending World War II.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.