Thirty-Two Countries Attend Nagasaki's 65th Anniversary of US Atomic Bomb Attack

The Japanese city of Nagasaki marked the 65th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bomb attack on Monday with a record 32 countries attending — but no American representative.

Photo: Thirty-Two Countries Attend Nagasaki's 65th Anniversary of US Atomic Bomb Attack

A moment of silence was observed at 11:02 a.m., the time when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the southern Japanese city on Aug. 9, 1945, in the waning days of World War II, The Associated Press informs.

Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War II in the Pacific.

The United States has never acceded to demands in Japan for an apology for the loss of innocent lives in the atomic bombings, which many Western historians believe were necessary to bring a quick end to the war and avoid a land invasion that could have been even more costly.

Others see the attacks as unnecessary and perhaps experimental atrocities, AFP says.